


The Lion Guard: King of Life

by Storymaker2



Category: The Lion Guard (Cartoon), The Lion King (1994)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-01
Updated: 2020-06-01
Packaged: 2021-02-26 00:41:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 75,694
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21624703
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Storymaker2/pseuds/Storymaker2
Summary: A year has passed since Kion was named King consort of the Tree of Life. Thus far, Kion and Rani enjoy their new life together but when a new lion enters their domain he opens their eyes to the world around them and brings difficult choices for the young rulers. But as they do so, the world around them won't ignore them. Kion X Rani
Relationships: Kion/Rani (The Lion King)
Comments: 8
Kudos: 41





	1. Chapter 1: A King's Duty

The sun head reached center-sky over the grassy plains of Africa.

Light spread across the tall and yellowish grass as a series of rustling disturbed what would have been peaceful vegetation.

Out of the grass came two cheetah cubs followed by a limping adult-female.

Ahead of them was a pass that went through a series of rock formations.

“Come on, mom, we’re almost there!” One frantically shouted.

“I’m trying. Trying.” The cheetah moaned. Neither cub could bear to look at the large gauche in their mother’s side as she struggled to move.

“You can make it mom! It’s just up ahead!” Both nudged her forward, desperate to keep her going.

Finally, they reached the entrance to the pass but found their path blocked.

Directly ahead of them were three adult lions. Two males and one female. All three had dark-brown fur and manes. The lions were eating a large wildebeest between them.

“No kidding.” The lioness chuckled as one of the males laughed with her.

“Just you wait, Kanda. One day you’ll beg for me.”

“I look forward to that spectacle, Idan.” The second male continued to laugh as the first glared at him. That was until Idan saw the three cheetahs. Their playful demeanors quickly changed when they saw the fright in the cubs and the wound on the mother.

“Woah, are you ok?”

“Please, our mom’s hurt! We’re trying to find the Tree of Life!” One of the cub’s pleaded despite her fear of the lions. The three lions saw how frightened the cubs looked of them and Kanda slowly approached.

“Calm down, we’re not going to hurt you. My name is Kanda, this is Idan and Gael.”

“Hello.”

“You’re looking for the tree of life. You came to the right place, we’re from the Kingdom of the Tree of Life. It’s just through this pass, we can make you.” Idan said.

The cubs gave more hopeful looks.

“We're close, mom!”

“Please, we must hurry, they aren’t far behind.”

“They?” Gael tilted his head slightly.

The ground shook from a series of hoof steps that flowed like a river.

The cubs quickly pushed their mother behind the lions as their pursuers revealed themselves. Idan, Kanda, and Gael saw an entire herd of buffalo emerge from the grass. The leader lowered his large horns and huffed in an aggressive manner.

All three lions could see the fire in his eyes.

“There they are!?” The leader huffed as he dragged his right hoof across the ground.

“Excuse me, can we help you?” Kanda asked.

“This doesn’t concern you lions. Step aside.” The three saw his intentions quite clearly as the buffalo looked at the frightened cheetahs.

“Well this is our home, so it kind of concerns us.” Gael growled.

“My name is Gage. I am the master of this herd and that cheetah tried to hunt us!”

All thee lions raised an eyebrow as if this was meant to be some kind of earth-shaking news.

“Yeah, buddy, ever heard of the circle of life? We need to eat too.” Idan growled.

“My cubs needed to eat. His herd is three times as big as any others. They eat all the other herds’ grass because there are so many.” The cheetah tried to growl but her pain was too much. Both cubs tried to lick her wound and comfort her.

“No one hunts from my herd. Every buffalo here belongs to me! Anyone touches my property dies!” Kanda and the others saw a certain weariness and fear in many of the buffalos towards Gage, particularly the cows.

Gael carefully looked up at a nearby tree. A white owl sat in the tree and watched the entire ordeal.

Gael gave her a nod and the owl quickly flew off.

Kanda got between the cubs and Gage.

“Well as much as I admire a brave leader for protecting his pack, your little vendetta has to end here. You’ve entered the Kingdom of the Tree of Life.”

“And?” Gage huffed.

“And, Queen Rani has decreed that her kingdom is a place of healing. Meaning you can’t come here to hurt anyone else.”

Gage shook his head.

“I’m the master of my herd. I do what I want! Your Queen can be trampled for all I care!”

The cheetahs nearly passed out in fear but the lions smiled.

“I’d be careful what you say. Our King and his Guard are very devoted to protecting the Kingdom.” Kanda said in an eager fashion.

Gage huffed again and lowered his horns at the lioness.

“That’s it, you’re going to meet my horns now too. I don’t see a King anywhere!”

“How unbungalievable that you’d say that at this moment.” Gage and the other buffalo heard a distinct and almost grading voice.

The cheetah and her cubs looked up with the buffalo at six new animals who stood on the rocks over them. Among them was a young adult, female cheetah with green eyes. The second was a young-adult male hippo with blue eyes. A large female eagle with purple feathers and blue eyes. An Egret bird with black eyes. A young-adult honey badger with dark-blue eyes.

In front of the other was a young adult male lion. His fur was a more yellowish-tan unlike the other lions and his mane was a deep red. The mane was almost fully grown in around his head. His eyes were a light brown with a notable scar over his left eye, though it did not reach his actual eyeball.

The lion also had a light blue marking atop his forehead.

Each of these animals bore a marking one shoulder. The marking was of a lion’s head done up to appear as a tree, or perhaps the other way around.

All six had either determined or disciplined expressions. Save the honey badger, who smiled with determination.

None appeared more vehement in their resolve than the lion who bore his fangs and let out a pounding growl.

“This is the Kingdom of the Tree of Life. Whatever your qualms are with this cheetah, they end here. Unless you require healing or intend to enter with peace, turn back, now!”

The sheer presence of the lion was enough to make several buffalo back up.

“Who do you think you are talking to the master of this herd, like that! I do what I please!”

The lion narrowed his eyes and took a more aggressive stance.

“I am Kion, King consort of the Tree of Life, son of King Simba of Pride Rock! These lands are under my protection!”

“So unless you want to feel the unmatched fury of the Lion Guard. You’d best get moving.” The cheetah growled with an all too confident smile.

Gage huffed.

“Lion’s done scare me. I’ve dealt with your kind before.” The manner in which Gage emphasized the word dealt made no further explanation needed as to what he meant.

The buffalo leader charged forward with his horns held down. The herd quickly followed suit and quickly petrified the cheetahs.

However, Gage did not reach his target. Kion roared as he pounced down and slammed the buffalo onto his side. Gage had not expected such immense strength from the young king. He had seen lion’s with such strength but they were usually older and noticeably larger.

Kion was reasonably large for a young-adult. However, he wasn’t overly bulky. His body seemed to be made up of incredibly efficient muscle that was well distributed across his body.

Kion immediately snapped his jaws and slashed his claws at the buffalos behind Gage. The terrifying display brought many to a halt but not all of them.

“Twende kiboko!” The buffalo huffed as he slammed his hulking body into the buffalo on Kion’s right. His immense size and large tusks quickly halted the herd’s right portion as well.

“Zuka Zama!” The honey badger viciously snapped his jaws and flailed his claws into the face of the first buffalo on Kion’s left. The much larger creature nearly jumped backward and caused a pile-up.

When the honey badger saw more buffalo trying to force their way forward he gave another thick smile.

“Alright, you asked for it.” When he turned his back on the buffalo, a cloud of the foulest smell any of the buffalo had ever smelt now filled their senses and nearly made each one faint.

The egret carefully watched the ordeal from above with an intense focus on the cheetahs.

“We’ve got breakaways! Coming to the left! Two right!”

“Anga Lenga!” The eagle swooped down and raked the face of one buffalo who tried to outflank the Guard by coming left.

“Huwezi!”

The cheetah with a swiftness that the cheetah mother had never even heard of.

With two rapid strikes, the cheetah claws the inside legs of both flanking buffalo from the right and bought them into a tumble.

Kanda and the other lions watched the battle with stars in their eyes.

Kanda in particular as she gazed at Kion who fought off multiple buffalo with unmatched tenacity.

“Queen Rani is so lucky.” She almost purred. Idan noticed this and gave a jealous expression.

“Are we just gonna sit here. I saw we help the King!” Idan growled.

Gael and Kanda both bore their fangs in a smile. All three let out a powerful roar and charged into the sides of the herd. Their help wasn’t vital to the Guard’s success but it did hasten the rate of containing the herd.

Gage tried to gore Kion with his horns but the King got under Gage’s head and used his tremendous strength to hurl his foe back into the other buffalo.

“Get behind me!” Kion roared. His guard and the other lions quickly did just that while the cheetahs looked confused.

“You guys are in for a show!” The honey badger shouted full of excitement to the cheetahs.

As Kion arched his head back as if to roar, the cheetah mother felt the ground shake a little and the wind picked up.

Kion thrust his head forward and roared. In the sky above, the clouds billowed out like thunder. The cubs and mother shuttered when they almost saw elder lions appear in the clouds roar as Kion did.

A tsunami-wave of concussive force struck the heard of buffalo and sent the herd across the African plains.

All but one, Gage had been just low enough to the ground to avoid the impact of this roar. Despite how afraid he was, the herd master finally saw an opening against the cheetah mother.

With a murderous huff, he forced his way past the honey badger and younger cheetah.

Gage held his horns low as the cubs tried desperately to get their mother up to no avail. The mother attempted to force them off but they wouldn’t leave her side.

Rather than the pain of his horns, the cheetahs felt the pierce of another roar.

Kion had intercepted Gage and slammed him hard into the ground.

When the cubs opened their eyes, they saw Gage’s horns had been broken clean off and his body was limp.

All three were overcome with a mixture of fear and awe as they saw the Lion pant over Gage’s body. The fiery aggression that had been so prominent in Kion’s expression now faded into compassion.

“It’s alright, he can’t hurt you now.”

“I, we….Thank you.” The mother tried to say through her pain.

“I’m just glad you’re ok.”

“And we got dinner out of it.” Fuli said as she looked at Gage’s body with a slightly hungry expression.

“Fuli.” Kion said with a more serious look.

“What?”

“Welcome to the Kingdom of the Tree of Life! You’ve met King Kion. We’re his loyal Guard. The name’s Bunga, his second in command.” The honey badger said with a proud stance.

“You’re his second in command? We’ve been doing our job too well for that to be true.” Fuli said as she came up beside him.

“My uninformed friend is Fuli. As you can see, a fellow cheetah.”

“Are you guys ok? There’s no need to be scared anymore.” Fuli gave a more compassionate look as she nudged her head against the cubs.

“Hello, I hope you guys weren’t too scared. You’re safe with us. The name’s Beshte.” The great hippo came over with a very friendly gaze.

“Sorry, we didn’t spot you sooner. Our line of sight usually stays around these borders. I’m Ono, this is Anga.” The egret squawked as he came down beside the eagle.

“Our mom is still hurt. We heard stories about the Tree of Life healing injuries.” One of the cubs pleaded.

Kion nodded.

“You heard right. We’ll take you there. Kanda, Idan, Gael, thank you for helping protect them.”

“It’s our pleasure, your majesty. Seeing you guys in action always lights a fire in my belly!” Gael exclaimed.

The cheetah mother tried to get up but Kion saw how difficult it was for her.

“Beshte, why don’t you give her a hand.”

“Can do.” With Kion’s help, the mother and her cubs were lifted onto Beshte’s back.

The three were carried through eh pass and onto a hillside where they could see the vast kingdom before them.

A thick wetland, a large forest lake, a vibrant river, a small desert, a warm savanna, and a snowy mountain all surrounded a tree as they had never seen before.

“I, I’ve never seen lands like this before.”

The Guard nodded.

“The Kingdom is home to many different environments and even more animals.” Ono squawked.

Their path down the hills took them through the savanna portion and within sight of the desert. In the savannah, the cheetahs saw many animals they were accustomed to. Including a few more lions, all of whom had dark-brown fur like Kanda, Idan, and Gael.

In the desert, they saw strange animals with long necks and humps on their backs.

Several lions also lived in the desert portion. These lions more closely resembled Kion, but their fur was also a much closer match to the desert sand. Their stature was also slightly different.

“I’ve never heard of desert lions before.” The mother said.

“Barbary Lions. There used to be a lot of them in the northern deserts but something happened a long time ago. Now the only ones left are the descendants of those who originally came here after losing their home.” Ono said in a slightly saddened tone.

Despite this story, the cheetah and her cubs were treated to the vibrant kingdom around them.

The animals lived in a splendor land. Each environment was well maintained and the animals there kept in check.

The various creatures each gave a warm greeting to Kion and his guard while they passed.

“We should be at the tree soon but if you’re going to stay here, know there are laws.” Anga said.

“No trouble inside, right?” The mother asked.

Kion nodded.

“No territory disputes, no battles for dominance. This is a land of healing and Queen Rani intends to keep it that way. That also means hunting isn’t allowed in certain portions of the Kingdom. While you’re here, you have to respect the laws.” The mother nodded and gave her children a stern look until they too nodded.

It wasn’t a few moments later that the cubs were jumped by two powerful roars.

Near the base of the snowy mountain, a few large tigers and polar bears growled fiercely at each other by a half-frozen pond.

“You had your season here. It’s our season to fish!” The lead tiger growled.

“Your tigers kept sneaking in during our season. We get to go longer because of it!” The bear growled back.

Many nearby animals fled in fright of what might happen next.

The mother covered her cub’s eyes and looked over at Kion.

“The Guard doesn’t handle internal disputes. We protect from outside threats.” Bunga said calmly.

“Then who!”

Another thunderous roar quickly silenced the various growls.

A young-adult lioness charged across towards the two groups. She appeared to be Kion’s age with the same fur tone as Kanda. Her eyes were a darker shade of brown and she was around Kanda’s size though with more efficient muscle like Kion.

On her forehead was a light blue marking also similar to the one Kion wore.

“Quuueen, Rani.” The lead tiger nervously whimpered as he and the lead polar bear backed up.

The lioness’s fiery expression was almost enough to melt the snow around them.

“What’s going on here?” She almost snarled.

“They won’t give up the pond even though their season is over.” The tiger growled.

“They kept cutting in during our season!” Rani turned her glare back to the lead tiger.

“Is this true?” He gave an evasive expression.

“I didn’t, maybe a few of us did, but we shouldn’t all be punished because two or three broke the rules.”

“That’s exactly what’s going to happen!” The polar bear snarled.

The lead tiger snapped his jaws back and the two readied themselves for a mauling.

Neither would get the chance. Rani slammed the tiger onto his side with a headbutt and then pounced into the polar bear until he was on his back.

“There is no fighting here! If the tigers cut in on the bear’s season, then the bears get two sessions during the tiger season. Is that acceptable?” Rani growled.

The two leaders quickly nodded and their parties dispersed.

The Cheetah’s eyes widened in amazement.

“That’s.” Kion nodded as his face warmed with a smile.

“My Queen.”

As Rani made her way out of the snow, the nearby animals thanked and gave her proper courtesy.

The cheetah felt her heart race faster when she saw Rani approach them.

Meeting a king was already nerve-racking enough, now a queen as well.

“There you are, Ullu said there was trouble near the western border.” Rani’s earlier aggression had vanished. In its place was a cheerful demeanor.

“All taken care of.” Kion motioned towards the wounded cheetah mother as well as Gage’s body that Beshte pushed along.

“I see, nicely done.” Rani purred as she stroked her head against Kion’s before approaching the cheetahs.

“Are you three ok?”

“Our mom is hurt.” The first cub muttered.

Rani looked at the large gash in her side with slight concern.

“It’s good you came here. My name is Rani, it’s my duty to ensure ann wounded animals who come here are helped. This way to the tree.” Rani now took the lead as the three cheetahs gazed in awe at the tree before them.

The tree was far larger than any they had ever seen. Its branches extended out like arms of a great beast and its roots burst from the ground as if they were large tentacles.

Near the base of the tree was a large opening, large enough for Beshte to enter with his passengers.

The tree interior felt warm but in a soothing way. The pathway was illuminated up by a series of green mushrooms and paintings decorating the rocks.

A young-adult baboon carefully moved her hand and staff over the various images like a scholar reading a book.

“Makini, we have another wounded animal.” The baboon quickly turned with a devoted expression.

“Alright, bring her over.” Beshte carefully set the cheetah’s down onto the rock hill Makini came over her.

“My name’s Makini, I’m one of the healers. What’s your name?”

“Dacia, these are my cubs. Dahlia and Vadik.”

“You can help her right?” Vadik asked with a nervous gaze.

“I can.” Makini carefully took some herbs that grew around the tree interior and began to apply them on Dacia.

“You’re in good hands. Feel free to stay as long as you need.” Kion said.

As the day went on the King and Queen returned to their duties. By late afternoon, Kion and Rani traversed the kingdom without their Guard.

Their path took them across the savanna and near the main river. Along the way, both received friendly greetings from the various animals they passed.

“So aside from those buffalo, what other kind of trouble was there?”

“More of the usual stuff, poachers from the south and from the north. There have been more poachers trying to get in lately, even herds who try and bum rush some and get out. But there’s still no sign of Makcuha or his band.”

“That’s concerning, but at least they aren’t organized like Makcucha.” Kion noticed the tone of Rani’s voice and gave a more confident smile.

“You sound like you miss it. Running the Guard.”

The Queen narrowed her eyes at Kion but didn’t lose her demeanor.

“Very perceptive, I think you could give Ono a challenge.” Rani playfully ran her left paw through Kion’s mane as she tried to push his head down a little.

“Of course I miss it. I sometimes miss being up at night too. But I wouldn’t trade it for what I do now. I never realized how chaotic things could get inside the Kingdom. I don’t know how my grandmother did it in her old age.”

“Probably because she didn’t have to worry about any external threats thanks to her night pride.”

“Right, that was until you trouble makers showed up.” Rani giggled.

“Trouble maker? You haven’t seen real trouble yet.” Kion jokingly growled and pounced onto Rani. Both lions laughed as they tried to wrestle the other to the ground. Despite her best efforts, Rani was pinned again and again by Kion.

“Pinned you again.” Kion said with his confident smile.

“No fair! You spend your days fighting, I’m out of practice.”

“Definitely, that’s why you knocked a tier of ran pinned a polar bear onto the ground earlier.” Rani gave a slightly defeated look as her excuse fell apart.

Kion gave Rani a warm nuzzle before letting her up.

“As the two walked past the desert, several of the Barbary lions bowed their heads.

“My Queen, my King.”

Kion took a deep breath upon each greeting. His expression wasn’t lost on Rani as they traversed the lands.

“Are you alright?”

“I’m fine, it’s just. I guess I’m still getting used to being a King is all.” Rani laughed.

“It’s been a year Kion. “

“I know but growing up I never even thought about being a king. I know I was a prince but Kiara was the heir. The only way I would have become king was if….” Kion shook his head with a frightened look.

“I don’t even want to think about it. You knew from the get-go.”

“Maybe but that doesn’t mean you haven’t proven yourself.” Rani gave Kion another warm nuzzle with her eyes closed.

“I guess it’s not just that. Part of it is what I thought my life would be like. I expected to run the Guard at Pride Rock and stay close to my family. It is nice having Bunga and the others here but sometimes I just think about Kiara and my parents.”

Rani slowly nodded. As much as she missed her own parents and grandmother, she at least had her brother and uncle still with her. Since he had become King, Kion had only been able to see his family one other time.

Rani could have only imagined if her own parents were still alive.

“Sorry to be so down. It’s been a good day so far.” Kion lifted his head back up and looked out at the Kingdom while the sun began to set. Rani’s warm smile returned as she saw Kion eased a bit.

The Queen also noticed that they had reached a secluded area near lake Pratbimba. But more importantly, they were alone.

Rani gave a more aggressive expression. Aggressive but not angry.

“Though you have forgotten the most important thing about running the Guard.”

“Huh?” Kion turned just in time to see Rani pounce into his body and pin him into the grass near the lakeside.

“Never let your own guard down.” She said with a similarly eager smile before lowering her head to lick Kion’s face who replied in kind.

Elsewhere, Dacia and her cubs were carefully led out of the tree by Makini. Dacia still walked with a limp but her gash was now bandaged up with leaves and herbs.

“Take it easy for a few days and if something goes wrong just come back and see me.”

“Thank you, thank you very much.” Dacia’s cubs helped her towards the savanna portion as Makini stretched her arms with some fatigue.

The baboon looked up at the setting sun and realized it was time to head to her tree.

“I guess that’s a day. Nirmala’s turn.” Makini walked through the wetlands and reached her tree above a pool of water. She set her staff down and tried to set against the branches when the sound of mud splatter and laughter captured Makini’s senses.

She looked down to see Bunga and Binga gleefully throwing mud at each other.

Makini looked at the sky again and tilted her head slightly.

“Look out up there!” Bunga shouted.

Makini moved just in time to avoid a ball of mud as it flew by.

“Woah!” The baboon had to catch herself on the branches to avoid tumbling down.

“Sorry, Makini.” Binga said with an embarrassed expression.

“It’s getting late? Aren’t you guys tired?”

“Yeah, but our philosophy is that you should keep going until you’re completely exhausted. Then your sleep is much more effective.” Bunga said.

“……..I guess it’s possible. But do you mind taking your fun somewhere else? I could use some sleep.”

“Sure thing. Race you there!” Binga ran ahead without warning.

“Hey! You didn’t say go!” Bunga cried as he chased after her.

Makini smiled and shook her head before laying back down.

Her first year as a shaman had been interesting, to say the least. Nirmala had been an excellent teacher in the art of healing and Makini loved giving hope back to so many different animals.

Just when her eyes shut, Makini felt something else on the edge of her hand. She glanced over and noticed it was a drop of water.

The baboon looked at the sky and noticed a number of clouds moving closer to them.

“Rain? Oh well, at least It’ll help me sleep better.”

The moon and stars were now the sole sources of illumination in the night sky. But their light struggled to pierce many thick storm clouds over the kingdom. While much of the kingdom slept, four lions waded through the rain near the savanna portion.

The lions consisted of an adult male, a young-adult male, an adult lioness and a young-adult lioness. All four had dark-brown fur like Rani and had the same mark on their shoulders as Kion’s Guard. The two males had similarly brown manes. The adult had thick brown eyes while the young-adult had blue eyes. The adult female had lighter blue eyes and a flower tucked between her right ear while the young-adult female had green eyes.

The young-adult male almost growled as he looked up at the night sky.

“Of course it rains as soon as our guard begins. Typical.”

“Would you stop your bellyaching, Baliyo, it could be a lot worse.” The adult male growled with a more serious expression.

Not a moment later, as the adult male walked under a tree. The water collected by its leaves became too much and it all came crashing down to soak the lion.

The younger lions broke out in uncontrollable laughter as the annoyed adult moved his wet mane out of his eyes.

“You’re right uncle Surak, I guess it could be worse.” Baliyo had to catch his breath to avoid passing out.

Surak almost growled at the other lion until the adult female came up beside him with a calm look.

“I’m still pretty dry. Let me help you.” The lioness purred as she stroked her fur against Surak’s.

After a calmed sigh Surak shook himself a little.

“Come on, let’s go.” The four continued their patrol across the land towards the western border.

Despite his earlier amusement at Surak’s expense, Baliyo slowly regressed back into his frustration.

Both lionesses noticed this and carefully approached him.

“Baliyo, are you alright?” The adult lioness asked.

“Yeah, I’m fine, Nirmala. I’m just not looking forward to a long night in the rain is all.” Baliyo said after a deep breath.

“We’ve done patrols in the rain before. I always thought the Night Pride was tougher than some rain.” The younger lioness poked at Baliyo with a certain smile. Much to his annoyance.

“You’re still the newest member of the Night Pride, Afia. You don’t get to insult the Queen’s brother like that.”

“Oh, forgive me, your highness. I shall endeavor to be nothing but gracious and reverential towards your illustriousness.”

Surak and Nirmala both chuckled at her sarcasm. Both had grown quite fond of Afia since she had joined them in Rani’s place.

Baliyo stopped looking annoyed and simply sighed with his head lowered.

“Oh lighten up, will you. You’re normally not this uptight.”

Baliyo took another deep breath. Baliyo knew it wasn’t the rain that truly bothered him, nor was it Afia’s smart remarks.

Afia saw the lament in his eyes and softened her own expression.

“Baliyo something is bothering you. You can tell us.” Surak and Nirmala both turned their heads and nodded.

“We’re always here for you.” Surak added.

Baliyo simply sighed again.

“It’s been a year and I feel like I barely get to see Rani anymore. She used to be with us all the time and now she sleeps at night and works in the day.”

“A Queen’s duty is during the day, Baliyo. She’s not doing it to get away from us.”

Baliyo’s eyes narrowed with frustration.

“Whenever she does get free time, she spends it all with Kion.”

“Well, he is her mate. You do understand the concept of that kind of relationship right?” Afia asked with her sarcastic smile.

“So what, she doesn’t have to spend all her time with him and his Guard. We’re here family too and she acts like we don’t exist anymore.”

“That’s not true, Baliyo.” Nirmala tried to pat his shoulder but he jerked away.

Kaliyo almost felt himself boil up. He pictured Kion cuddled up beside his sister nice and dry in the Tree of Life.

“Well if it bothers you that much, you could always see her in the day too. Sleep is overrated anyway.”

Baliyo glared at Afia and tightened his muscles. Whatever frustrations he felt would have to wait. He was on duty and couldn’t be distracted.

A few minutes later, a familiar hoot penetrated through the rain and reached the lions.

“Night Pride! Someone’s trying to get in through the western pass!” Ullu hooted as she flew down.

“Did they seem friendly?” Nirmala asked.

“I couldn’t tell, but they were a pretty big group.”

“We must investigate them regardless. Come on!” Surak roared. All four hastened their pace until they reached the western pass and emerged on the rocky hillside where Kion and his Guard faced down Gage earlier.

“This way! Just a little further!” An accented voice roared.

Baliyo looked closer and saw it was a male cheetah who sprinted nearly as fast as Fuli towards the pass. Behind him was a party of various animals. There were three Tsavo lions, a wild dog, a buffalo, and a rhino.

At first, the Night Pride got into an aggressive stance but soon saw no aggression in the approaching animals. In fact, each seemed panicked and fiercely dedicated.

“I think we lost them.” The wild dog panted.

“Just through this pass, then we-“ The cheetah stopped as he saw the Night Pride.

“Oh, right. Good evening, Night Pride.” Surak, Nirmala and Baliyo noticed the cheetah seemed a little familiar.

“Have we met him before?” Surak asked.

“I think we have. Do we know you?!” Baliyo cried out.

“Yes, I’ve visited before. My name is Azaad, I guided some messengers here a year ago.”

“Yes, he was friends with Fuli I think.”

Afia chuckled with a sly smile.

“Friend, I’ll bet that’s all he is.”

“What are you doing here? Who are they?” Surak asked with a courteous expression.

“I once again come as a guide. They desperately seek the Tree of Life to save their friend.”

The rhino came forward and revealed another lion on his back.

The Night Pride nearly jumped when they saw the deep claw marks and lacerations across this Lion’s body. He breathed slowly but his eyes were closed.

“Please, he won’t survive much longer. Can you help him!?” The Buffalo huffed.

Nirmala ran down ahead of the others and placed her paw on the lion.

“He needs to be at the tree now. Ullu! Wake the King and Queen, tell them I need to do emergency healing now! Follow us quickly!” Nirmala roared. As they ran, Baliyo noticed that all of the other animals except Azaad had similar wounds across their bodies. Though none were as extensive as the lion’s.

Eventually, they arrived inside the Tree of Life. For a moment Baliyo gave an almost deadpan expression as he saw Kion and Rani were cuddled up beside each other in the warm tree interior just as he pictured earlier.

Ullu nudged against the lions with her head and wings.

“Huh?” Rani yawned as she and Kion slowly opened their eyes.

“Your majesties! Sorry to wake you but there’s serious trouble!”

“Are more poachers here!?” Kion quickly shook his head and got up.

“If there were we’d have dealt with them. We have a gravely injured lion who needs the tree or he’ll die.” Kion and Rani’s eyes widened before they saw the rhino squeeze himself inside.

On his back was a lion who looked to be around Simba’s age. His fur was a light shade of tan rather than gold like Kion’s or brown like Rani’s. His mane was also a darker-brown though not as dark as Surak’s or Baliyo’s.

“Hurry! Set him down here!” Nirmala sprinted to the rock where Rani’s grandmother had kept herself.

The rhino carefully set his companion down while Nirmala put a few vines around him.

“Is, is he going to make it?” Rani shook as she asked.

“I don’t know. These next few minutes are vital.” Nirmala vigorously worked to keep the lion alive. The vines glowed like the various mushrooms around them and cauterized some of the lion’s gashes.

The lion slowly opened his eyes to reveal they were brown and filled with terror. Though the terror did not seem to be for himself. It was almost strange. The lion breathed heavily and very quickly. Each of his companions watched him with agonizing expressions.

“Calm yourself. I need you to be still.” Nirmala growled as she tirelessly worked.

The lion slowed his breathing but finally noticed Kion and Rani.

“It’s going to be alright. Nirmala is the best healer in the world.” Rani said as she came closer.

“I’m Queen Rani, this is my mate, Kion Kion.”

The lion’s eyes became fixated on Kion. He stared in an almost obsessive manner.

“Kion, your name is Kion?”

“Yes, son of Simba.”

The lion let out a deeper exhale.

“Who are you?”

“My name is Kopa.”

Author's Note

Greetings, as stated in the description, this one immediately follows season 3 or rather a year later

Please let me know what you guys thought of the chapter, your likes, and dislikes. It helps me focus my attention to where it should be

So until next time,

Please review, comment, suggest or ask(VIA PM)


	2. Suspicions

The sun slowly rose over the Tree of Life as Ullu waited with Kopa's companions.

Despite their fatigue, each remained focused on the tree's entryway.

"It's been so long. Is that good or bad?" The lioness asked in a feverish manner.

"Vegter says it good. If worse, they have told us he dead hours ago." One of the Tsavo lions growled.

Ullu had kept a watchful eye on the visitors since their arrival. But she wasn't the only one suspicious of their intentions.

Baliyo slowly approached with Afia and Surak. The other two lions were visibly tired from a long night of patrolling in the rain. Baliyo, on the other hand, kept himself on edge as he approached the party.

"Any news?" Baliyo asked Ullu specifically.

"Nothing yet."

"Your healer, she's helped animals worse than him right?" The wild dog nervously whined.

"If Nirmala can't help him, no one can." Surak growled.

As the sun rose further, they heard more footsteps and were soon greeted by Makini.

"Morning guys….Uhh hello." The mandrill's eyes widened when she saw so many animals before the tree.

"Who are they?"

Baliyo didn't take his eyes off the party.

"Visitors, their friend is very hurt."

"Oh no!" Makini covered her mouth.

"Nirmala's helping him right now." Afia started until they saw the lioness exit the tree with a very exhausted look.

"Kopa! Is he ok?! Will he be ok!?" The buffalo frantically huffed.

Nirmala yawned with her eyes struggling to stay open.

"He's stable, for now." Kopa's companions let out a collective sigh of relief.

"I'm too tired to help him right now. Makini you need to take over for me."

"Right on it!" Makini rushed inside as Nirmala passed the others.

"You saved Kopa! We're in your debt!" The second male Tsavo said humbly.

"It's my duty." Surak gave Nirmala a warm smile and a quick nuzzle as she strode beside him.

"I need to sleep." Nirmala sighed.

"Me too." Afia yawned.

Surak noticed Baliyo's intense expression and motioned closer to his nephew.

"Baliyo, are you coming?"

"Not yet, I'm uh, not that tired." The other members of the Night Pride watched with concern as Baliyo walked inside.

"I think I'll keep an eye on him." Afia said as she followed Baliyo.

Surak and Nirmala returned to a brush within the savanna portion and laid down beside each other.

For a brief moment, the two felt peace, until.

"There you are!" Both lions felt their senses assaulted by piercing shouts and small paws against their faces.

Two brown-furred cubs with blue eyes wrestled at their faces while the adult lions gave depleted looks.

"Vadik, Vala wait!" Kanda ran over to the cubs with a similarly tired look as the other adults.

"I'm sorry, I tried to wear them out all night but it's like they have endless stamina." The lioness panted.

Surak sighed.

"We appreciate it, Kanda." The second lioness slowly walked away as the cubs continued to climb over the adults.

"This is what we get for having kids and not retiring from the Night Pride." Surak groaned. Nirmala tried to look more optimistic as she pinned both cubs under her. Surak looked back up at the sky.

"I know you're laughing at me right now Sahasi. You never had much pity for your brother."

Baliyo walked inside the Tree of Life with Afia close behind. Despite how tired he was, Baliyo didn't slow his pace and finally saw Kopa still laid out on the rock.

Nirmala had placed a series of leave bandages over each wound and Makini carefully moved the healing vines to different parts of his body.

Kion and Rani had both fallen back asleep beside each other, much to Baliyo's chagrin. Afia saw his right eye twitch a little and his mouth open to roar.

"Ahhh! Your majesties! Good morning!" Afia quickly clamped Baliyo's mouth shot with her paws.

Kion and Rani yawned and stretched themselves before they noticed the others.

"Morning Baliyo, Afia." Kion yawned.

"So, how'd last night go after you dropped Kopa off?" Rani asked casually.

Baliyo sighed before Afia stepped forward.

"We ran into two poacher parties, one from the south and one from the east."

Kion's eyes narrowed in concern.

"More of them? They've never shown up this frequently before." Rani nodded.

"Are you guys ok?" Baliyo's expression lifted slightly.

"We're fine, it was nothing we couldn't handle. I'm more interested in our new visitors." Baliyo came up beside Kopa who was asleep.

"Has he said anything yet?"

Rani shook her head.

"He just said he name was Kopa, then he lost consciousness."

Afia and Baliyo noticed Kion didn't seem fully at ease.

"Kion, was there something else?" Baliyo focused closer on the young King, who sighed.

"I don't know. There was something about the way he looked at us, me in particular. I've never seen Kopa before but it almost looked like he recognized me. Then when I said who I was, he really looked interested when I mentioned my dad."

Rani nodded.

"Do you think he knows your dad?"

"Maybe, I don't remember my parents ever talking about a Kopa before."

"So he didn't say why he was here?" Kion and Rani shook their heads.

Baliyo turned his suspicious gaze back on Kopa.

"Somethings not right here. The others haven't told us what happened to him either."

"They mentioned being ambushed. The others are hurt too, it was probably by one of the poacher parties we've been chasing off." Kion suggested.

Baliyo shook his head.

"Their party has four lions, including three from Tsavo. A rhino, a big wild dog, and a buffalo. If we could chase off those poachers then they certainly could have. Something else is going on here."

"Maybe you're just being paranoid. The world can be a dangerous place, animals can get attacked." Afia countered.

"No, I can feel it in my gut. There's more going on here, and I intend to find out what."

Rani approached Baliyo's side and brushed her head against his.

"Baliyo, you're getting too worked up about this. You're probably tired and wound up." Feeling his sister's warm embrace, Baliyo let out a deep exhale and felt some of his earlier frustration wane.

Afia came up beside Baliyo and nudged him out of the tree.

"I'll make sure he gets some rest." Rani nodded with a smile before Kion came beside her.

"What do you think?" Rani took a deep breath.

"I'd like to believe Kopa and his party were just attacked and hare here to help him. But lions, rhinos, buffalo, and wild dogs traveling together isn't exactly a common party. I feel like there's some kind of story going on behind all this." Kion nodded.

"Azaad led them here. Maybe he can shed some light on what happened. I'll have Fuli talk to him."

"Good idea."

Elsewhere, Azaad was fast asleep near the edge of the desert area. The cheetah was unaware that he was being carefully watched by a dangerous predator in the brush.

A few dromedary and addax saw the rustling of the brush and a pair of eyes inside. These animals ran in fright and woke Azaad up.

"Huh? What?" Azaad yawned as he carefully stretched his back and looked around at the frightened animals.

"Oh come on, they live around Barbary lions and they think I'm going to eat them. I never liked dromedary anywa-" Azaad felt the wind get knocked out of him as he was slammed onto his back.

Azaad's eyes widened in fright as he saw a set of fangs over his face.

"You dared to come here! Come here and fall asleep so carelessly. You have guts." Fuli lowered her head to just above Azaad's.

"What am I going to do with you?" Fuli licked Azaad across the face.

"If you think I'm going to take this lying down, you're mistaken."

"That's if you can catch me." Fuli sprinted away like a flash of lightning and Azaad was quick to follow.

Both began to laugh as Azaad tried to catch up. The morning sun had already warmed the sand beneath their feet.

Near an oasis, three Barbary lions slowly drank from the pool when they heard the commotion.

"Huh, what's that?" One looked up the hill and saw Fuli stop for a moment with her eyes back on Azaad.

"Oh no, he's not going to."

"He is! Fuli wait!"

Azaad pounced into Fuli but neither realized they were on a hilltop and both cheetahs tumbled uncontrollably into the water, not only soaking themselves but dousing all three lions with water.

"….Great." One growled.

"I don't know, it's pretty hot out. It kind of feels good." Another purred.

"Ghaaah!" Fuli shrieked as if she were on fire.

After getting out, the two cheetahs carefully licked each other dry.

"That was your fault you know." Fuli growled.

"You started it."

"Yeah well." Azaad chuckled.

"You came back here but apparently not to see me." Fuli's expression made Azaad's face turn slightly red.

The cheetah's eyes darted from side to side.

"Yes well….I know you've been busy with the Guard and what not. I just-"

"Excuses, excuses. If you think we should move on and-"

"No, wait! That's not what I…..Grrrr, how can you inspire such dread just by your words?"

Fuli smirked.

"Practice. But in all seriousness, I do need to ask if you know anything about the group you brought here last night." Azaad took a deep breath.

"Right, here's what happened. I had finished my hunt and was heading back to the den when I heard a commotion. So I went to investigate and saw that party fighting off a few leopards and komodo dragons." Fuli's eyes widened.

"Makucha's band? They hurt Kopa?"

Azaad shook his head.

"No, I don't think so. The lead lion was already gravely injured when these poachers attacked them. If I had to guess they were running from an earlier fight and were attacked by the others later. Anyway, I came to help but they had already thrown the poachers off. It was then I saw just how hurt the lion was. They begged me for help and I remembered the Tree of Life. I hope I didn't cause any trouble bringing them here."

Fuli slowly exhaled.

"No, you did the right thing Azaad. Did they say how Kopa was hurt?"

"I did ask them along the way. They claimed to have been attacked by a different poacher band further west. But I will admit I was suspicious, they seemed to handle Makucha's band just fine, even when each of them was hurt. Also, they didn't seem to have come from the west. The way they were moving, they had been coming from the north."

Fuli's expression grew more and more suspicious.

"Further north, that's the kingdom of the Northern savanna."

Azaad nodded.

"I haven't been there before. What's it like?" Fuli shook her head.

"I've only heard things. Apparently, something bad happened there a long time ago, back when I would have been a newborn cub. We need to tell Kion and Rani everything. Away from Kopa and his party."

Azaad nodded.

Kopa's companions now rested beside lake Pratimbimba. However, they weren't alone. While many of the local inhabitants avoided the visitors, Beshte, Bunga, Ono, Anga, and Binga kept a close eye on them.

"Hmm, what do you think?" Bunga asked as he stroked his chin.

"The rhino hasn't said a word to the others since he got here. I think he's definitely hiding something." Binga said with a similar expression.

"Guys it's not nice to be so suspicious of visitors like that." Beshte said as he cooled himself off in the lake.

"What about mama Binturong?" Binga asked.

"Well, their friend was actually hurt when he got here."

"I think Bunga and Binga have a point. Why would so many different animals travel together in one party?" Anga asked as she kept a close watch.

"Right, who ever heard of different animals traveling together." Ono sarcastically squawked as he emphasized each of them with his wings. Anga and the others each gave a slightly embarrassed look.

"I'm with Beshte, we should at least give them the benefit of the doubt. Until we know they've done something wrong, we should trust them."

"But if we wait until then, it might be too late." Binga countered.

"Well, we could always try talking to them." Beshte began wading through the water with Ono on his head.

Meanwhile, Vegter slowly got up and cracked his back.

"Vegter feel famished. Vegter will go hunting." The other male Tsavo nodded.

"Yes, I'll join you."

"Woah woah woah, hold on. Make sure you ask someone where we're allowed to hunt. The last thing we need is to get into trouble here too." The wild dog barked.

The two lions slowly nodded.

"Hey, good morning!" Beshte huffed. The party of animals each turned to the approaching hippo and his friends.

"I don't know if anyone properly welcomed you yet but if not. Welcome to our Kingdom. I'm Beshte of the Lion Guard, this is Ono, Bunga, and Anga. They're also members, and this is Binga."

"Greetings." Ono squawked in a respectful manner.

"Hi." Anga tried not to sound suspicious as she greeted them.

"Do I look suspicious?" Bunga whispered to Binga.

"A little."

"Dang it, snap me out of it." Binga nodded and slapped Bunga across the face, immediately turning it to a more relaxed expression.

"Perfect. Hi there."

"Hello. You're all part of the King's Guard, the ones who protect the borders of these lands?" The buffalo asked as he stepped forward.

"Yep, that's us. Well during the daytime anyway, you already met the Night Pride, they handle the dark part of the day." Bunga proudly announced.

"Well, you have our gratitude for taking us in and helping our friend. Allow me to introduce us. My name is Jade." The Tsavo lioness said.

"This is my mate Beskerm. This is Vegter."

"A pleasure to meet you."

"Vegter is happy to gain your acquaintance."

Anga and Ono glanced at each other for a moment when they heard Vegter speak.

"The little guy here is Dakarai."

"Hey, I'm not that small." Dakarai growled.

"Compared to us you are." Beskerm chuckled while the others joined in. Much to Dakarai's chagrin.

"This is Talib."

"Hello." The buffalo huffed.

"And Obasi." The rhino simply lowered his head.

Bunga and Binga similarly looked at each other in suspicion.

"So Obasi, do you like it here?" Bunga moved slightly closer to emphasize his point.

The rhino nodded.

"Hmm, what's your favorite part of the kingdom?"

"Obasi doesn't speak." Jade said calmly but with concern.

"Oh come on, does she have your tongue or something?" Binga asked as she nudged her elbow against the rhino.

Obasi's eyes narrowed and he opened his mouth.

All of their eyes widened and their faces turned white.

"Auuuhhg." Ono moaned as he fainted onto the ground.

Binga nearly screamed until Bunga covered her mouth and eyes.

"Ok, ok, sorry we asked!"

"Actually, we did have a question. Those of us who are predators haven't eaten in some time, is there a part of the kingdom we're allowed to hunt in?" Dakarai asked.

"Yeah, there's two spots in the north eastern part of the savanna and near the south western part of the tundra. All the herds have been warned those areas are open to hunting." Beshte said.

"Let's try the savanna." Beskerm growled, Vegter nodded.

Anga kept a close eye on them both.

"Why don't Ono and I show you where it is. We wouldn't want you hunting in the wrong spot."

"Of course." Ono got back up and flew over the two lions.

"You guys look a little hurt too if you need Makini to take a look-" Beshte started.

"Trust me, we've been through worse. We just need to make sure Kopa's going to be ok." Talib huffed.

"Soooo, what is Kopa to you guys, exactly."

"He's our friend…and leader." Dakarai admitted.

"What you mean by leader? Who are you guys?" Beshte asked, his own curiosity growing.

Those who remained tried to look at ease. Though Obasi had to turn his head away.

"We're just concerned animals is all. Kopa brought us all together and has kept us safe."

Beshte only looked curious but the honey badgers remained suspicious.

"I don't suppose we could get a tour of the kingdom? You hear stories about the Tree of Life but I'll bet they can't live up to the real thing." Dakarai asked.

"Sorry, but we have to go on patrol with Kion soon." Beshte said.

"I don't have to. I could show you guys around." Binga said.

"That would be very nice. Thank you." Jade said.

Binga winked at Bunga who nodded.

Meanwhile, Vegter and Beskerm walked through the savanna as they followed the birds. Both lions were in awe at how vibrant the land around them was. They also took very close notice of how lively the various animals were.

Each of them went about their daily business without any signs of true hardship or discontent.

"Alright, the tree leaved trees mark the entrance into the hunting grounds. It's where most eatable foliage is found." Ono squawked.

Beskerm nodded.

"The herbivores only stay as long as they need to. They can eat elsewhere safely but not in a way that is sustainable. Less the circle of life broken. A very efficient system set up here."

"It's not always pleasant but it's necessary for the herbivores not to overpopulate and defoliate everything or dominate smaller herds." Ono said.

"Speaking of which, I think I'll join you in the hunt." Anga followed both lions inside and kept a dutiful gaze on them.

The two lions looked over the herds and watched the other various predators as they conducted their own hunts. Cheetahs, tigers, lions, both Night and Barbary seemed to focus on the heads with overwhelming numbers.

Beskerm carefully took a position in the brush beside Vegter as they watched a very larger herd of wildebeest.

As they tried to pick one out, Vegter tapped his friend's shoulder and motioned towards a nearby herd of zebra.

Within the heard, they saw a large stallion violently biting at the necks of two fawns. Their mother tried to get between the stallion but was kicked to the side.

Both fawns tried to help their mother up only to have the stallion come at them again and-

"Grawww!" The cries of the two fawns were drowned out by a combined roar.

Gael and Idan burst from a nearby brush and pounced into the stallion.

Idan pinned the stallion down and bit at his neck while Gael snarled at the other zebras. Though they needed little encouragement to get away from the angry stallion. Nor did many look particularly upset to see him get mauled.

Once the others were away, Gael joined Idan and put the zebra down.

"Alright, there we go, food for the day." Gael said with a smile.

"I'm telling Kanda it was my kill."

"What? Are you serious?" Gael chuckled.

"I did all the work!"

"I kept the other zebras back."

"Yeah, they really looked upset we took out this jerk." Idan growled as he and Gael dragged the zebra away.

Both Tsavo lions looked back at the other predators and saw they followed the same example of picking out the herds' troublemakers.

"It's just like how Kopa said a kingdom should be." Beskerm and Vegter's smiles widened in excitement.

Anga overheard what they said with interest as she watched from a nearby tree.

Both lions picked out an older male wildebeest that was getting violent with a younger male and quickly ambushed the bull. The Tsavo lions' immense strength and ferocity made the fight short.

As this happened, Anga heard desperate squawks from nearby. She looked down one branch and saw a snake slither towards the next of a masked weaver who waved her wings around over her chirping babies.

Just as the snake raised her head to strike, Anga's talons slammed the snake's head into the branch.

The reptile gave one more terrified look up at Anga as she saw the eagle.

"Hunting area, remember." Anga took the snake in her beak and flew back up while the weaver let out a breath of relief.

Back in the Tree of Life, Kion and Rani stood over Kopa while Makini stepped back.

"That's all that can be done for him. Only time will bring his strength back."

"So he will recover?" Kion asked

Makini raised her hands up in an uncertain manner.

"Maybe, he was pretty forgone. It was the tree that saved him more than Nirmala and I. But he could make a recovery. We just have to wait."

"Thank you, Makini. We'll take it from here." Makini bowed to Rani and Kion before she went back to the stone wall.

"So, do you want to ask him or should I?"

Rani carefully watched Kopa and breathed through her nose.

"We'll do it together."

Kion nudged Kopa's head using his paw and the lion's eyes slowly opened.

"Hmmm, not dead after all." Kopa moaned.

"Kopa, how are you feeling?" Rani asked calmly.

"Well, I feel like I've been ripped apart and patched back together. Every muscle ached, my bones feel brittle and for the last hour, I thought I was dead. Not too bad all considering."

Rani wasn't sure if she was amused or concerned by his attitude.

"Forgive me for the lack of respect, your majesties." Kopa tried to bow his head but grit his teeth from the pain.

"Stop, don't worry about things like that now." Kion pleaded. Kopa smiled a little.

"Good rulers should always be respected. Especially ones as young as you. I hope I haven't taken up too much of your precious time. Running a kingdom like this can be no easy task."

"We just have a few questions for you."

Kopa shook his head.

"No, I don't want to burden you further. Please, tend to your people. I'll answer any questions you desire to your healer."

"You'll answer them to us." Rani spoke more sternly.

She and Kion both saw a look of admiration in Kopa's tired eyes.

He didn't seem evasive about answering the questions oddly enough. From the look in his eyes to the tone of his voice, Kopa sincerely sounded like he was worried about taking up their time.

"Alright, I just didn't want your people to suffer because of me. I imagine you have many poaching parties to stop." Kion's eyes widened a bit.

"How did he know that?" Kion wondered.

Rani gave a similar expression.

"Kopa, your friends claimed you were ambushed somewhere west of here. Is that true?"

Kopa relaxed and gave a more disciplined look.

"Yes. We were ambushed by a very large group of poachers. They wanted to eat our friends Talib and Obasi. During the fight, I put myself between them and the worst of the poachers. It's how I was wounded." There was no hesitation to Kopa's voice, nor signs of doubt.

However, Kion and Rani felt he was a little too quick and straight forward in his response. Still, at that point neither had anything that contradicted his story and thus they couldn't call him out yet.

"Well, rest here until you're strong enough to walk. Makini will be here if something goes wrong. We have duties that require us." Kion said.

Kopa nodded.

"Thank you, again." Both lions walked out of the tree as Kopa watched them with true interest.

A little bit later, Binga guided Obasi, Talib, Dakarai, and Jade through the various portions of the kingdom.

"Here we have the wetlands. This is where Bunga and I stay when he's off duty." The wetlands were teeming in life.

Among the animals were many that the group expected to see. Some turtles, snakes, herons and frogs, however, Dakarai also saw a pair of very strange looking animals near the water's edge.

They had brown fur and a beaver-like tail. But instead of mouths, they had large black bills almost like a duck.

"What on earth are those?" Dakarai didn't realize how loud he was speaking.

"What do you mean? Is there a new species here?" One of the strange animals asked.

"I think he was talking about you, Edward. These are platypuses." Binga came up beside them both.

Dakarai backed up a little. The strange creatures were like some kind of chimera to him.

"What's wrong with him?" Edward asked.

Binga narrowed her eyes.

"I hope to find out." She continued to lead them across the wetlands while occasionally glancing back.

"For a kingdom with so many different animals, this place seems to be keeping itself together." Jade said with a sincere smile.

"That's the power of the Tree, and the monarchs."

"Are you originally from here?" Talib asked.

"Yep, born and raised."

"Have you ever ventured outside the Kingdom?" Talib continued.

Binga held her chin as she tried to recall her life so far.

"Hmmm, no actually. I almost did once a little over a year ago. But in the end, I didn't have to."

"….It would be nice if every kingdom were like this one." Dakarai whined. Binga quickly took notice of the wild dog's tone and slightly depressed expression as he spoke. The others mired his look.

"Without sticks, we can't build our nests! Without nests, our eggs won't hatch!" Binga and the others heard a series of irritated and worried squawks.

"What's all this about?" Talib asked.

Binga followed the squawks and quickly saw most of the wetland birds surrounded Rani. The young queen had a slightly weary but dedicated look on her face.

"I understand the trees aren't losing as many branches this year but we can't just go ripping them off. We could hurt the trees and disturb the ecosystem." Rani countered. Her voice was sympathetic but firm.

"What are we supposed to do then? Leave our eggs in the water! Would you leave a cub there? Your majesty." A heron quickly corrected herself as Rani turned to her.

Rani took a deep breath and looked back at a Fish Eagle who rested on a branch over them.

"Cadoc, there are more sticks near lake Pratimbimba right?"

"Yes, my queen. Last I saw."

"Go there and see if the birds can spare enough for the wetland birds."

"Will do, your highness." Cadoc squawked and quickly took off.

"What if there's not enough for us both?" A pelican nervously whimpered.

"Look I'm no bird but there has to other materials you can use."

Binga's eyes widened for a moment.

"I've got it!" Without warning, the honey badger ran up behind the birds and began to pluck some of their exes feathers.

"Ahh!"

"Hey!"

"Watch it!"

"Ouch!" The various birds squawked.

Rani looked confused for a moment until she saw Binga pile up the feathers into part of a nest.

A smile began to emerge on the Queen's face as she picked up a piece of bark, some dried leaves, and moss. The lioness added them to the feathers while Binga patted some mud around the various material.

"Ta da! Makeshift nest!" Binga exclaimed with her hands raised.

One of the ducks carefully stepped into it and settled herself.

"Hmm, that's not half bad…..I'll take it!" The duck quickly snatched the nest in her bill and ran off.

"Hey, that's not fair!" A gull squawked.

"There you go, if Cadoc can't bring back enough sticks, you can still make nests."

The birds squawked to each other for a few more moments with a series of nods.

"Perhaps you're right. Thank you, queen Rani. Our future babies will thank you as well."

Rani let out a sigh of relief when she saw the birds disperse.

"Thanks for that."

"Don't mention it. Besides, it was your idea to use different material." Binga nudged her elbow against Rani.

"Well, there's still a lot of kingdom to look after." Rani noticed some of Kopa's companions nearby. Each of them had observed the situation very closely.

"I'm showing them around, and keeping an eye on them."

Rani nodded.

"…You haven't seen anything concerning have you?"

"Not yet but Bunga and I both think there's more to their story." Rani took a deep breath.

"You're not the only ones."

Later that day, Kopa was asleep again.

Makini occasionally checked on him and then returned to the various cave paintings.

Makini heard footsteps and looked back to see Kopa's companions enter the tree.

"Excuse us, we just wanted to check on Kopa." Jade said.

"It's fine. He's sleeping."

Talib carefully nudged against the lion's head.

"Kopa, Kopa are you alright?"

"Define alright." The others smiled.

"We have some meat left from our hunt." Beskerm laid out a piece in front of Kopa who carefully ate it despite the pain.

Obasi glanced at Makini who was trying to subtly watch and listen. The rhino intentionally put himself between her and the others. His breathing only made things harder for the mandrill to hear.

"What did you tell them?"

"Nothing, only that we were ambushed." Jade said. Kopa carefully nodded. Both spoke softly to avoid Makini's eavesdropping.

"Our stories matched then."

"I don't think this ruse will work forever. They're already growing suspicious of us." Dakarai nervously whined.

"It will work long enough. Kion hadn't heard of me before. Clearly, Simba didn't want to regain his son with my supposed crimes." Kopa tried to smile a little.

"Do you think he would have taken us in if he knew who you were?" Talib nervously huffed.

Kopa's smile faded.

"Hopefully we'll find out before he does. What was your general opinion of the kingdom and the rulers?"

"Vegter saw hunters respect circle of life. King and Queen keep them in check." Kopa nodded.

"Queen Rani is strong but fair. Her subjects clearly respect their queen and she shows genuine dedication to helping them." Jade's smile returned and Kopa gave an approving now.

"Indeed. That leaves Kion, if he is acting as head of the Kingdom's exterior defenses then he'll soon learn the true extent of the infection that spreads throughout our world. We must ensure it doesn't reach this beautiful place of healing. I want you to observe Kion and let me know what kind of King he is."

"And then?" Beskerm nervously asked.

"Then, I'll tell them who I really am and what we indent to do."


	3. Kopa's plight

Kion and his Guard fought at the southern border against a band of poachers.

Kion slammed two of the striped hyenas away with his paws and shook a third in his powerful jaws.

"Anga Linga!" Anga swooped down and slammed one of the hyena's into using her powerful talons.

Bung and Beshte kept at Kion's flanks to ensure he couldn't be surrounded. Both similarly fought off the hyenas while Ono kept watch from above.

"Hapana! They're breaking for the pass!" Ono squawked as he saw four dash behind the guard.

"No, you don't!" Fuli sped to the pass entrance and knocked two of the hyenas away. However, she wasn't alone. Azaad ran beside Fuli and dispatched the other two.

Eventually, Kion's Guard forced the hyena band away from the pass and directly in front of him.

"Last chance, leave or face the consequences." Kion's growl shook the air around them and the hyenas whimpered upon seeing a few clouds growl with a thunderous sound.

With that, the hyenas scattered from which they came.

"Well, that wasn't so bad. All that time-fighting Janja's spotted hyenas has made these striped and brown ones seem like nothing." Bunga brushed his hands together.

"Nice moves out there, you're not half bad in a fight." Fuli smiled at Azaad.

"I'm so pleased you think so." Azaad spoke with a hint of sarcasm.

Kion didn't share his companions' optimism.

"How many is that today?"

"Three poaching bands and two territorial herds." Ono carefully announced.

"It's just past midday too. There have never been this many poachers before." Beshte spoke with slight fatigue.

"At this point maybe we should just let them spend some time in the hunting grounds. Maybe they'll finally be satisfied." Bunga chuckled.

"If poachers were interested in legitimate hunting they wouldn't be poachers." Anga corrected with a little impatience.

Kion took another deep breath stood up taller.

"Well, no one said this job was going to be easy. We've handled worse when we weren't as strong."

"I don't know Kion. Maybe there's a reason poachers are showing up more often." Beshte said wearily.

"We probably have ourselves to blame for that. We led Makucha and his friends here, now he's told every poacher across the lands where the Tree of Life is and how many rare animals are here." Fuli groaned.

"I don't know. Thus far we've done a superb job of keeping poachers out during the day. The Night Pride has had the same success at night. You'd think they'd have gotten the message by now." Ono pondered.

"How long did it take Janja to get the message?" Bunga reminded Ono.

"Hmmm, fair point."

"Whatever the reason, there's nothing we can do but hold them back. Hopefully, they'll give up once their efforts become unsustainable." Kion tried to sound confident but his days grew more strenuous.

Kion was always willing to do his duty but he longed for a day of peace. One where he and Rani could spend an entire day of quality time together. He knew his friends each longed for the same.

Kion wondered if Vitani and her guard faced similar pressure back at Pride Rock. He also wondered if this was the king of stress his father faced on a daily basis. Kion tried to find some comfort in the thought that maybe Rani was having a more manageable day than himself.

"Now that we have a moment, Azaad, why don't you explain what you saw the other night." Fuli said.

"Right, let's see if Kopa's story matches up."

Azaad nodded and told Kion everything he had told Fuli.

Bunga and Anga looked just as skeptical as they had earlier.

"You see! He said he came from the west but he really came from the north!" Bunga shouted with his arm raised.

"Well, it's what it looked like anyway. There are different paths they could have taken that go along both directions. In my opinion, they came from the north. But I can't prove it."

Kion gave a hard nod.

"Thanks for being honest." The King shook his head.

"I don't need this right now. For the time being, I'm just going to assume Kopa's being honest."

"Are you sure?" Anga cautiously asked.

"We have too much going on with these poachers to keep looking behind our backs. We can't lose focus on our mission."

The others slowly nodded. Unknown to them, Vegter, Jade, and Beskerm carefully watched the Guard from nearby.

"What do you think?"

"Vegter think King's mind only on his duty."

Beskerm nodded in approval.

"Indeed."

"Guys! Guys!" An all too familiar hoot proclaimed.

Kion and the others each gave a weary look as they saw Ullu approach.

"And here we go again. I swear if this is one of the groups we already chased off, I might make this a working lunch." Fuli growled.

"Your highness, another group of poachers has begun an attack near the eastern border. Not far from the Tundra's hunting ground!"

Despite their fight just ending, Kion's resolve remained steel-like.

"Let's go!"

The three Tsavo lions slowly followed, each careful to avoid being seen by Anga or Ono.

Rani, meanwhile, worked with a north African elephant and two Barbary lions to shift several large rocks away from an oasis.

"Alright, there you go." Rani exhaled as a series of small desert animals crashed to the now more accessible water.

"Thank you, your highness." Rani's face broke into a warm smile as she saw the animals replenish themselves.

"I appreciate the help, Chidlike, you guys too."

"Of course, my Queen. We're always happy to help you." The elephant and lions bowed their heads before departing.

"Anga can you see them!" Rani heard in the distance.

She quickly gazed out across the sand dunes and saw Kion dash through them with the others.

"Anga Linga! Ullu was right they're already inside the Kingdom!" Anga squawked.

"Hevi kabisa! Come on we need to hurry!"

Rani saw her mate's weary but determined expression and felt her stomach tighten in concern.

As hectic as her own day had been, this was the fifth time she had seen the Guard race across the kingdom. Even on her busiest nights with the Night Pride they had never been this active before the night was over.

For a brief moment, Rani considered mustering a few Barbary lions to give Kion a hand. But quickly remembered her other tasks. Rani sighed and realized Kion wouldn't want her shirking her own duties for his sake.

Rani went off but didn't notice three animals carefully follow her.

"Hmmm, this is quite interesting. She commands all of her subject's respect and loyalty." Dakarai panted.

Talib nodded.

"Come on, we need to stay close."

Kion and his guard raced through the snowy tundra past frightened penguins, caribou, and tiger cubs.

Each group of fleeing animals was eased by the sight of their King and his Guard.

"Just up ahead!" Anga squawked.

There they noticed two polar bears and a few tigers had arrived from the nearby hunting ground to stop the intruders from getting any further, with a few small animals hiding behind them.

Kion and the others now finally saw who was attacking. To their unpleasant surprise, it wasn't a simple band of poachers. Among the attackers was a large brown bear with dark brown eyes. A Dhole with dark red fur and golden brown eyes kept close to the bear.

Across from them was a black panther with midnight fur and blue highlights. Her eyes almost shined emerald green. In the air over them was a Shaheen falcon with black, and brown feathers around his brown eyes.

Backing up these animals were two Arctic wolves.

"The king's here!" One of the tiger's growled as they cleared the way.

Kion let out a deafening outcry that nearly made the attackers' ears ring.

The others quickly formed up beside their leader with fierce expressions.

"I'm really not in the mood for more troublemakers. I'll give you this one chance. Leave now!"

These poachers weren't like the others. Their fear seemed more legitimate as they saw Kion. Each gave a very reluctant expression as they trembled in place. However, they looked over at the many animals inside the kingdom and grit their teeth.

"Attack!" The panther cried.

Kion's expression went from weary to a burning rage.

The attackers came in too fast for him to use the roar, so instead, he gave out orders.

"Fuli keep up with the panther. Anga protect Ono from that falcon. Bunga, Beshte, Azaad, don't let the others through!"

The brown bear lashed out with his heavy paws. The bear's groan like roar came close to Kion's ears and his breath struck the lion's face. Kion saw the large fangs of his foe all too well and did his best to avoid them.

As the bear swung his arms in, Kion struck first and clawed the inside of the bear's arms. The force of his blow and the pain of his claws made each of the bear's strikes miss. The larger creature howled in pain but didn't slow his attack.

The bear snapped his jaws again but only felt the bottom of Kion's mane. The King, on the other hand, was able to snap his jaws hard around the bear's neck. The punishing bite nearly made the bear lose control.

In a final act of defiance, the bear tried to lift Kion up but a lion was not an easy animal to carry.

Even lifted up, Kion wasn't at the bear's mercy and simply crashed both paws against the omnivore's face like the arm of a crane.

This was enough for the bear to drop Kion and stumble onto his hind legs. Kion pounced into the bear's side and brought him tumbling across the snow.

The dhole tried desperately to get past Bunga to no avail.

"Come on, either fight me or leave. I'm not a good dancer." The dhole growled.

"Alright, you asked for it." Bunga lept forward and crashed his foot into the dhole's face. The canine shook his head and lurched back against Bunga's next kick. He even managed to snap his jaws around Bunga's tail and drag the badger through the snow.

The dhole smile for a moment until he saw Bunga's paws come around.

"Ghaaaaah!" The dhole yelped like a banshee. Bunga smiled and flipped himself back to his feet.

"Zuka Zama!" Bunga delivered another jump-kick to the dhole's stomach and rolled him through the snow.

Anga and Ono didn't stop moving as the falcon flew between them.

"Beshte behind you! Azaad he's coming up to your right!"

"That's not being fair!" The falcon cried in anger.

He tried to snatch Ono by the neck but Anga was quick to react. Her powerful wings and beak struck across the falcon's body and nearly send him to the ground.

"And that's not very nice."

The falcon and eagle exchanged heated expressions and continued their flight around each other.

Anga did her best but the falcon was very agile, perhaps more than she was. The eagle, however, had her size. When the falcon managed to snatch her wings from behind, Anga allowed herself to fall and spun around.

Her superior size allowed the falcon to be thrown off balance and gave Anga her opening to slam him into the snow.

Fuli and the panther raced through the snow. Fuli was impressed by how fast the panther could move and react. The panther struck first with each bite and claw blow before Fuli could even attempt to do so.

Finally, the panther lept at Fuli, her first mistake. Fuli smiled and sped away just in time. However, she remained close enough to pounce back and slammed her head into the panther's side the moment her foe landed.

Both arctic wolves kept at Azaad and tried to get at his flanks. Luckily for him, Azaad was far to fast and kept himself in a good position to counter the wolves with his fangs and claws.

All the while keeping their attention on him.

"Twende kiboko!" Beshte slammed his large jaws into both wolves and hurled them away.

Kion and his Guard efficiently coordinated with each other to surround the attackers and press them together.

However, unlike the poachers from earlier, this group looked like they were ready to make a desperate stand.

It only enraged Kion further.

"That's enough!" The King closed his eyes and bellowed out thunder from his mouth.

The sky erupted in similar concussive thunder. The snow around Kion's foes swirled up in a small tornado, which swept each up.

The sight of Kion's roar lifted the spirits of his Guard as well as his nearby subjects.

"Ha! Serves your right, poachers!" A penguin squawked as he slapped his flipper against a caribou's hoof and his other flipper against a tiger's paw.

When the snow settled, the attackers lay half-buried with dizzy eyes.

"Well, that's one nice thing about no food. You can't throw up." The dhole moaned.

Before Kion could do anything else, something very interesting caught his eye. Except for the wolves, the other four animals all had a white marking on them like a star. The bear had his across his chest. The dhole across his face. The panther on her shoulder, and the flacon on his stomach.

In the heat of battle, Kion and the others hadn't noticed the markings. They recognized them. It was the mark of another Guard.

Kion's mouth dropped open and his anger turned to horror. Bunga and the others came to the same realization with similar looks.

"Ajitabh! Anahita! Taakat! Nidar!" Another powerful roar filled the air and broke the eerie silence around the two guards.

Kion soon saw a white tiger rush into the tundra. His fur matched the snow with black stripes and soft blue eyes. When the tiger saw Kion's Guard surrounding the other animals his eyes widened in similar horror.

The King and Guard's expressions looked like those a disciplinarian would give to a trainee as the tiger approached.

His look became more horrified with each step and the six animals trembled with shameful looks when they saw him.

"What have you done?"

"Grrrrrrr." The tiger nearly jumped as he saw Kion's fiery expression and fangs. The king slowly moved closer to the tiger, almost getting close enough to touch him.

"You have some explaining to do, Advik."

The tiger and his companions sat before the Tree of Life. Surrounding them was Kion's guard as well as three other night lions.

The seven tried not to glance at the nearly feral looks of those surrounding them.

Instead, they were afflicted by Kion and Rani's feral expressions.

"What is the meaning of this, Duke Advik!?" Rani nearly ripped through the tiger with her words.

Advik tried to calm himself.

"This is a mistake. My Guard would never-"

"Turn to poaching? Well, that's exactly what they did. They entered our Kingdom and tried to poach our subjects! They didn't even do it in the hunting grounds!?" Kion joined his mate and delivered a growl that made Advik feel as if he had been struck by a rock.

The tiger tried to breathe but the pressure began to tighten his throat.

"I swear, I didn't tell them to do this…..I swear on my life."

The six animals behind Advik lowered their heads in shame.

"He speaks the truth, your majesties." The bear groaned.

"Taakat." Advik started.

"We came here on our own…We didn't intend-" The panther started.

"Intend to what? Kill subjects under our protection!? You're a disgrace, all of you!" Rani had to calm herself as the rage inside her reached a boiling point.

Advik took a deep breath.

"This is my fault. Ajitabh, Anahita, Taakat, and Nidar are my Guard. I take responsibility for their actions. I beg you, if punishment must be given, let it fall upon me. Not my companions or my duchy." Advik lowered his head into a submissive position.

Ono and the others saw the guilt in his Guard wound them more than anything they had sustained in the fight.

"Duke Advik is wrong. We did this, not him!" The falcon pleaded.

"Ajitabh, silence." Advik growled.

"He's right. We disgraced ourselves, not our duke. Take pity on him." The panther purred.

"Anahita stop!"

"That's enough from all of you!" Kion snarled.

"We have enough trouble as it is with poachers, now our neighbors try to steal from us too? Have things truly gotten so bad in your duchy!?"

"I submit myself to you, King Kion, Queen Rani. I have let my duchy down and willingly face your punishment."

Kion took a deep breath and turned to Rani.

"What do you think?"

Rani's expression became conflicted.

"My grandmother always told me to keep good relations with the neighboring lands. Protecting the kingdom from outside threats is your duty. You should decide what to do."

Kion gave a hard nod as he looked back at the frightened tundra animals.

"Ullu, did they kill anyone?"

The owl shook her head.

"You guys arrived just in time."

Kion nodded.

"My father once told me a good ruler is one who is able to forgive mistakes. Since no one was hurt, I'm willing to let you all go."

The tundra guard each raised their heads and nearly cried out in joy.

"However, it's clear you can't be trusted as you were before. From this point, none of you are allowed to enter this Kingdom without permission and an escort. If anyone sees you come here otherwise, you'll be treated as poachers." Kion's expression was enough to get the message across.

All seven slowly nodded in terror before rising to their feet.

"Make sure they leave." Rani growled as the three-night lions bowed their heads and escorted the tundra Guard away.

Bunga shook his head in disappointment as Binga came up beside him.

"A Guard turning to poach. What is this world coming too?"

Kion's earlier fatigue only became worse.

Rani nudged her head against his.

"I think you made the right choice."

Kion's eyes remained narrow.

"I hope so." Fuli and the others were just as shaken by the realization that animals who were supposed to be like them had sunk to such a level.

Little did they know, Kopa's companions watched everything from a distance.

"Come on Cadoc, we still have to sort out the panda feeding schedule." Rani growled as the eagle took off beside her with Binga close behind.

Kion similarly rallied his Guard and went back to their patrol.

"Vegter finds judiciary mercy quite interesting. Vegter would have been harsher."

"A Guard turning to poach. It looks like the infection is spreading faster than Kopa thought." Jade growled in concern.

"Come on, we don't want to lose them." Beskerm said.

Later that evening, Rani finished up her duties in the bamboo forest and yawned as she made her way back towards the tree.

"Did we get through everything?"

"Everything pressing. We missed a few items but nothing that can't wait until tomorrow." Cadoc screeched.

"Sometimes I forget how hard it must be for you. I couldn't imagine doing this every day." Binga said.

Rani smiled a little.

"Ruling isn't something to be taken lightly."

"That's what makes you the best queen!" Binga shouted with her arms up.

"Queen Rani the magnificent!" Cadoc added.

The encouragement lifted Rani's spirit a little.

"I appreciate your confidence in me." She chuckled.

"I better go check on Bunga. It seems like they were worked to death today. But that just makes personal time all the better." Binga's words stuck with Rani. The lioness's warm smile returned as she nodded.

"That's all for today, Cadoc. See you in the morning."

"Good evening, your grace." Cadoc bowed his head and flew off.

Dakarai, Talib, and Obasi carefully watched Rani make off in haste towards the Tree.

"Alright, I think we've seen enough for today." Dakarai yawned. His companions nodded.

"I think Kopa will be quite happy when he hears-"

"Gotcha!" Dakarai was slammed into the ground like a boulder off a cliff.

The wild dog trembled as he saw Baliyo's fangs over him.

"I knew you were up to something, now I catch you spying on my sister!" The lion growled.

Before Talib and Obasi could react, Afia jumped in front of them with her claws raised.

"Back off!" She snarled.

"Wait, wait. We were just curious about the queen and uh didn't want to disturb her so we-"

"Shut up!" Baliyo roared.

His aggression soon turned to satisfaction.

"This is exactly what I needed. We're going to have a little chat with my sister." Baliyo's smile grew.

Kion had dismissed the Guard and dipped his face into a watering hole near the Tree of Life.

Kion carefully lifted his head up and stared back at the reflection. For some time Kion wondered if he would see his father looking back at him. But as time went on Kion began to see more than that. He saw his scar of course but it didn't bring him the pain it once had.

"Still thirsty?" Kion felt his head get dunked back in the water for a moment as Rani laughed above him.

Kion forced his head back up and intentionally splashed as much water into Rani as possible.

The two shook themselves dry and sat down beside each other.

"So, how many were there, besides our friends from the eastern tundra?"

Kion's smile turned to fatigue as he closed his eyes.

"Seven."

Rani nearly felt her mouth drop.

The queen's had certainly been busy and Rani knew Kion had been struggling to keep the poachers at bay. But so many in addition to Advik's treachery.

Rani could also see the signs of his prolonged fights through the various marks across his fur.

"Well, there's a lot of animals here who have you to thank for their safety."

"Not just me. My friends have stuck by me since the begging."

Rani nodded.

"True but they only have one leader." Rani began to purr as she nuzzled her head against Kion's.

"What about you? Any serious trouble?"

Rani shook her head.

"Nothing outside the usual business. Had to submit an agitated panda though."

Kion smiled.

"I imagine that went well."

"Pandas looks cute but they can be very feisty. Luckily for the other pandas, I'm feistier." Kion and Rani laughed a little.

"Still, with all my queenly duties I couldn't imagine running the Night Pride at the same time. I honestly don't know how I'd manage without you here." Kion replied with a warm smile.

"You'd find a way."

Rani nodded.

"You're probably right." Rani once again caught Kion off guard and wrestled him down to the ground. Her face now directly over this.

"But I'm glad I don't have to." The two lions gazed at each other with love and passion. They closed their eyes and began licking each other's faces, the only sounds around them being a gentle breeze and birds in the distance, until.

"Rani!" The Queen grit her teeth so hard they almost cracked when she heard Baliyo's voice.

In that moment of intimacy with Kion, perhaps the last thing she wanted to have on her mind was her brother.

Baliyo dashed towards them as fast as he could. Afia kept Dakarai under guard with his companions close by.

Kion didn't speak, he simply sighed and laid his head back. Rani saw the same fatigue in him that she saw earlier in the desert.

It wasn't just Kion either. Rani felt pure frustration that Baliyo was taking her time with Kion. Something both of them so desperately longed for after the eventful day.

"Rani, I need to-" Baliyo was stopped abruptly when he saw his sister's fiery expression and exposed fangs.

"What!? What is it!? What is so important Baliyo!?" Rani snarled with her head very close to his face.

Never had Baliyo seen such aggression towards him from Rani.

He was so frightened that words couldn't escape his mouth. As Baliyo sat there, he noticed Kion just behind Rani and quickly got the picture.

With a heavy sigh, the lion brought his head down.

"It's nothing. Sorry to bother you."

Baliyo slowly walked away as Rani sighed.

She didn't want to come down on him like that but after everything they had been through, Rani just wanted the evening with her mate. With another deep breath, Rani returned to Kion and rested herself on top of him.

"Is Baliyo ok?"

"He's fine. Don't worry about him right now." Rani's warm expression returned as she nuzzled Kion again.

Aria saw Baliyo walk past her with depression in his face.

"Huh? Baliyo what happened?"

"…Nothing. This was a mistake." Aria got off Dakarai and followed Baliyo.

The wild dog shook himself and got up.

"That was a close one."

Talib nodded.

"Come on, let's get to Kopa and report what we saw."

Afia found Baliyo laying under a savanna tree. A defeated lament remained in his eyes even as Afia nudged her head against his.

"Baliyo, what happened?"

The lion sighed.

"I was right, Rani doesn't want anything to do with me anymore. She has Kion now, he's all she needs."

Afia took a deep breath and shook her head.

"Baliyo it sounds like you just caught them at a bad time. You know the day is over, they're both tired and probably want some alone time."

"When is the right time then!? Queen or not, she's my sister!" Baliyo got back to his feet with a defensive look.

Afia put her hand on his shoulder again.

"Baliyo, she'll never stop caring about you. I know it's been hard since you lost your parents and grandmother. But Rani is more than just your sister now." Baliyo felt his eyes grow heavier as he thought about what Afia said.

"…Maybe. I just thought she'd still try to remain close."

"Baliyo torturing yourself isn't the answer. You just need to talk to Rani but at the right time. I've got it, we'll stay up later and be there when Rani wakes up in the morning. Just before she gets to her daily tasks."

Baliyo slowly nodded before his face turned more serious.

"That's not all. Those outsiders are up to something. They were spying on Rani, their story doesn't make sense. They're plotting something, I just know it. We have to find out what?" Afia took a deep breath and nodded.

"We will."

Elsewhere in the wetlands, Binga rested against Bunga near the edge of a tree.

"What a day." Bunga almost moaned.

"You never had ones this hectic back at Pride Rock?"

"Ehhh, sometimes it could get this bad. Like when that army came all at once. But those were the rare days. We also never had to stop another Guard from poaching."

Binga could hear the lament in her mate's usually exuberant voice.

"Is that still bothering you?" Bunga took a deep breath.

"….Yeah, it is." The honey badger shook his head.

"They're animals like me and my closest friends. I've been doing this so long I didn't think members of a Guard could go bad like that…" From the tone of his voice and look in his eyes, Binga understood where Bunga was going.

"No! Don't think that way!" She grabbed his chin and looked into Bunga's eyes.

Bunga sighed.

"I don't know what to think anymore."

"Just because they made a mistake doesn't mean you guys will. You've had a long day, I'll bet my the morning you'll feel better." Binga cuddled up beside him and Bunga hoped she was right.

Makini yawned as she stretched her arms and left the tree.

"I'm heading out for the night. If you need anything-"

"I'll be fine, thank you." Kopa assured her.

The healing power of the tree had eased Kopa's pain immensely.

He closed his eyes and took a moment to savor the slight relief it brought him.

"Kopa!" The lion slowly opened his eyes and saw his companions rush in.

"Are you feeling any better?" Jade asked.

"A little, what did you see?"

"We saw a lot. Kion is exactly what we hoped he'd be. The King is swift and dutiful in everything he does. He's fierce when he needs to be but merciful when it's right. Kion has dedicated himself to protecting these lands without question." Beskerm growled.

Kopa smiled.

"He is like Simba after all. What about the Queen?"

"Rani was just as determined to keep everything here in check. She's respected by everyone here and is always trying to keep the circle of life in check." Dakarai panted.

Kopa nodded.

"Yes, then they are ideal monarchs. That means it's time for them to learn the truth."

The others gave nervous looks.

"Are, are you sure? If they turn against us, we won't stand a chance, and you-"

"I'll make sure any rage is directed at myself. You will all escape if need be. As for me, there are worse places to die and I'm done running." Kopa groaned and forced himself back onto his feet.

"Go, I need to do this alone."

Kopa waited inside the tree until finally, he saw Kion return with Rani. Both looked tired but elated as they continued to stroke their heads together.

"Good evening, your majesties." The two were taken by surprise as they saw Kopa back on his feet.

"Kopa! You're walking?"

The older lion groaned a little but stayed up.

"Not easily but yes."

"Are you sure you're ok?"

Kopa nodded.

"I heard there was an incident today with a nearby duchy. Is everything alright." Kion took a deep breath.

"For now."

"I thought I should let you know. My companions kept close to you both today." Rani and Kion looked a little confused.

"You had them follow us?" Rani sounded almost upset by this.

"I meant no offense. I merely wanted to understand this kingdom and its rulers better."

"And?" Kion asked with an almost passive-aggressive demeanor.

Kopa smiled.

"I'm honored to have been taken in by such exemplary monarchs. Your Kingdom is ruled like all lands deserve to be."

Kion and Rani's earlier suspicions began to resurface the longer they watched Kopa.

"As such, both of you deserve to know the truth."

"What truth?" Rani almost growled.

"Of who I am, and what I've done." Kopa's expression began that of stalwart resolve. He didn't seem angry or frightened, merely at peace.

"My name is Kopa, I was born and raised in Pride Rock."

Kion nearly jumped when he heard this. Rani's mouth opened wider with her eyes.

"You're from Pride Rock!?" Kion exclaimed.

Kopa nodded.

"When I was a cub, I knew your father. I didn't know him well, merely that he was Prince Simba, the son of King Mufasa." Kopa's expression became happier while his eyes narrowed.

"Life was good then. The Kingdom flourished and the circle of life was maintained…..Then, one day the King's brother came and told us all that not only was King Mufasa dead but that Prince Simba was as well."

Kopa's expression slowly turned to lament.

"I didn't quite understand it then, death. I only saw the pain in your mother and grandmother's faces. At first, I thought things would stay the same, after all, I only knew of good Kings, I didn't think one could be bad….Then, Scar brought his hyenas in. He forced the lionesses to over-hunt and drive out the herds. The foliage died out and the water ran dry." Kopa's voice was a mixture of lament and rage.

"I watched my home wither away and die before me. I hated Scar but I was too afraid to do anything. Then one day your mother returned with Simba." Kopa's expression grew more optimistic.

"The dead prince was alive. He rallied our spirits and gave us the courage to dispose of the mad tyrant. Then within a few months, life had returned to Pride Rock. Within a year, my home was as it had been when I was a cub. The circle of life had returned with Simba."

Kion knew this story well, he had heard it so many times. Even hearing it from Kopa gave him a slightly warm feeling.

"By then I was grown and began to wonder. What if there were other kingdoms like ours. Kingdoms ruled by tyrants…I ventured beyond the pride lands and explored the other kingdoms. I found some good kings, some bad, along the way I met my companions who have remained beside me until finally, we found a tyrant. One like Scar." Kopa's face grew more aggressive as he recollected on the memory.

"He hadn't been king for long but I saw what was to come. He brought in poachers to bolster his guard as mercenaries. He neglected his duties and silenced anyone who would challenge his lunacy. We saw the first stages of the kingdom's death and refused to let it happen. I returned home and pleaded to Simba for action. Simba is a true King, I told him as such and that he ought to rule more than just Pride Rock." Kopa's head lowered for a moment.

"But alas, he wouldn't listen to reason. Simba told me that it wasn't his place to interfere with another kingdom and left the western pride lands to die as Pride Rock had…..I wasn't going to let that happen." Kion and Rani felt their hearts race as Kopa's head came back up.

"My companions and I entered the western pride lands. We then waited for the right moment and brought down the tyrant."

"You, you killed a king!" Rani almost backed up with a horrified face. Kopa showed no hesitation or remorse.

"Yes, I did, and I'd do it again. He was no different than Scar."

"That doesn't give you the right to kill!" Kion snarled.

Kopa shook his head.

"Have you ever killed Kion?" The young King hesitated for a moment.

"….I….I've only ever done it when necessary, on hunts, or protecting others."

"Yes, how was dethroning a tyrant any different. I was protecting those in the western pride lands! After we killed the king, his brother took the throne. He drove the poachers out and restored the circle of life. Since then, the western pride lands have thrived under a benevolent king like your father."

Kopa's resolve quickly fell back into lament.

"Simba, as it was, didn't see it that way. He banished me from Pride Rock. I lost my home, my mate, and my daughter."

Kion's eyes widened slightly.

"Your daughter?"

Kopa nodded.

"You probably knew her, my precious Zuri."

"You're Zuri's father!"

Kopa wiped a tear away from his eye.

"She's doing well then?"

Kion forgot the rest of his emotions for a moment and nodded.

"Yes, the last I saw her."

Kopa took a deep breath.

"Since then I've dedicated myself to preserving the circle of life everywhere, and to dethroning Tyrants."

"So you've spent years killing kings that weren't good enough in your eyes!?" Rani snarled.

Kopa shook his head.

"Most of the time it didn't come to that. There's a difference between a bad king and a mad tyrant. We only saw a few mad tyrants over the years and some we were able to depose by staring rebellions led by more suitable replacements. That was until recently." Kopa's injuries seemed to flail up again as he thought back.

"We had heard terrible stories from refugees. Herds who had fled from the northern pride lands. Stories of a tyrant named Radcliffe. We went to investigate and saw with our own eyes the horrors." Kion and Rani saw the determination and commitment return to Kopa's face.

"The lands were like Pride Rock under Scar. Radcliffe had driven out his herds and bolstered his army with mercenaries across the lands. Poachers without restraint or conscience who do anything Radcliffe says."

Kion and Rani looked at each other for a moment. Both had heard of king Radcliffe from the north, though neither had ever heard annoying particularly good about him. Still, they hadn't thought for a moment he was a mad tyrant like Scar.

"We tried to depose Radcliffe but failed….My injuries, they were from him. "

"You lied to us." Rani growled.

Kopa took a deep breath.

"Yes, I did. When things went south, we tried to flee and I held Radcliffe off long enough for us to find an exit…..His mercenaries continued to pursue us for miles until we encountered Azaad. You know the rest from there."

Kion and Rani both growled at Kopa with their fangs revealed.

Kopa almost laughed as focused on saw Kion's feral expression.

"This feels all too familiar. It's funny, you have a scar like your great uncle but in every other way inside and outside you're so much like your father."

"What do you want?" Kion growled.

Kopa showed no fear as he came within inches of the rulers and stared back with pure commitment.

"I want the world to be like your kingdom. I want life to thrive and prosper. Your father didn't listen to my reasoning but I see even more potential in you Kion and you Rani. Both of you could do so much for this world if you ruled more than just this kingdom."

Their eyes widened.

"Yes, imagine a grand empire ruled by worthy monarchs. Picture all the lands as they are here! All lands led by worthy rulers, that is all I've wanted!"

"You've brought death and chaos to do it!" Rani snarled.

"The world is black and white. Sometimes temporary hardships have to be endured for long term prosperity. Someone had to be willing to do it, that someone is me."

"We don't want you here! You can walk, take your companions and leave!" Kion roared.

Kopa's eyes narrowed.

"If that is what the king and queen desire. But, I will tell you now, your poacher problem is only going to get worse."

"You don't know that." Rani growled.

Kopa shook his head.

"I do, my queen. I've seen it before, I know how it always goes. These poachers are a symptom of a larger disease. That disease is Radcliffe. How do you think he's sustained his army and decadent lifestyle all this time?" Kion and Rani both came to a horrible realization.

Kopa could see it in their eyes.

"Yes, his army has overrun the surrounding lands and poached from their heads. He's not only destroyed the circle of life in his own kingdom but had done so in other lands as well. As such, the predators from those lands cannot feed themselves and have turned to poaching themselves. They steal from other lands who are forced to steal from other lands. The refugee herds then steal foliage from other herds and defoliate more land. Once they heard about your kingdom, one of the largest and richest in life, it became an irresistible target."

Kion's eyes widened as he thought about the tundra guard and their various expressions. Could it be they were victims of poaching and had been trying to feed their own predators?

"How long do you think it will be before Radcliffe and his army turns their sights to these lands. A place as precious as this will become a treasure trove too irresistible for the tyrant."

"We've driven off poacher armies before." Rani tried to counter, though she didn't sound very confident.

"Not like Radcliffe you haven't. But, it doesn't have to be that way. You both have the power to stop this madness! Take charge of the lands surrounding your kingdom, restore their circle of life under your rule! I can see it in you both, this is what you were destined for! I've searched my entire life for rulers like the ones before me. Now I've finally found them!" Kopa exhaled.

"If you want me gone, I'll leave. I would never disrespect rulers like you. But if you give me the chance, I can show you how to save the lands around this kingdom. I can show you how to stop the poaching, and bring life back to this world." Kopa sounded almost inspiring but the young adult lions felt only conflict inside them.

"Leave us. We need to talk this over." Kopa bowed his head and went to the other end of the tree interior.

Kion and Rani turned to each other with hard looks.

"….He can't stay." Kion said as he shook his head.

"Hold on, we shouldn't be rash about this."

"Rash, Rani he admitted to killing kings and queens. We only have his word that they were tyrants. Say one day he thinks we're not doing a good enough job." Kion's voice grew fiercer.

"We know almost nothing about him."

"We know my father banished him. That I believe. If my father thinks he's a threat we should take that as a serious warning."

"You know, I remember thinking another certain lion was a threat when he first came here. I couldn't have been more wrong about anything." Rani placed her paw on Kion's cheek near his scar.

"Kion, everything he said about the poachers made perfect sense."

"That doesn't mean he's right. My father told me a good king doesn't force his will onto lands beyond his own."

"I'm not saying we have to agree with Kopa on everything. But I am saying he knows something about these poachers. Kion you've been working yourself and the Guard harder than I ever could have to keep the kingdom safe but I can see the toll it's taking on you guys." Kion's head lowered for a moment as the earlier fatigue caught up with him.

Rani's face turned to one of immense fear for him.

"I can't stand to see you worn away like this. It has to stop. Kopa might be the only chance of stopping things from getting worse." Kion couldn't deny she had a point.

The poachers and territorial herds had been on the rise even before Kopa arrived. Now even other guards were turning to such depravity. Despite his best efforts, Kion knew he couldn't sustain such efforts indefinitely.

But what would his father think? Kopa may have lied earlier but Kion wholeheartedly believed almost everything else the lion had said. How could he even consider working with such lion, one his own father had banished.

Yet, Kion had to remember one very important thing. He wasn't his father and this wasn't Pride Rock.

Rani and Kion both turned back to Kopa with hard looks.

Author's note

Kopa has laid out all the cards now, what will Kion and Rani choose to do.

Baliyo feels neglected, but he could have come at a better time all considering, do you agree?

I'll give out one final call for OC's, but at this point they will be more minor characters as many have already been chosen

So until next time,

Please review, comment, suggest,or ask(VIA PM)


	4. Chapter 4: Beyond the Kingdom

Surak, Nirmala, and Afia fiercely fought off an angry zeal of zebras.

The zebras violently bucked their back legs and snapped their jaws at the Night Pride. But the lions were much fiercer.

Surak avoided a zebra's kick and then snapped his jaws around one leg. With a furious thrust of his entire body, the lion hurled his opponent into another zebra.

Nirmala similarly weaved away from another zebra's kick and then pounced into his side, slamming the stallion to the ground.

A larger stallion angrily huffed as he overlooked the battle from a rock.

"Move you fools! There are entire grazing fields inside for the taking! Think of all the mares that will be ours!" Three of the zebras made a dead sprint for the entrance as the lead stallion grinned. However, his happiness was cut short.

Baliyo snarled and crashed into the Zebra like a freight train.

Baliyo slammed the Zebra hard against the rocks and furiously turned to the pass.

"Afia block them, Nirmala come in from behind! Then form up!"

Afia reached the pass entrance just in time. The lioness snapped her jaws and lashed out with her claws. The zebras stopped but didn't falter, that was until Nirmala flanked them and jumped onto the nearest zebra's back.

The stallion cried out in pain and terror as he tried to shake Nirmala off. Afia saw the fear in the flanking mares' expressions and quickly put the pressure on them as well.

Before Baliyo could join the others he grunted against the impact of the lead stallion's hooves into his side.

"Baliyo!" Afia cried.

"I'm fine! Keep up the pressure!" Baliyo snarled at the large zebras as the two faced off.

"You're not being fair. My zeal needs land in here more than your herds." The zebra huffed.

"If you need healing you're welcome. But poachers aren't allowed, and there's more than one kind of poacher." Baliyo growled.

"That grass and those mares are mine!" The zebra turned and bucked his legs violently at Baliyo. As the lion avoided the kicks, he also faced violent bites from the zebra. One even reaching the left side of his mane.

Unfortunately for the zebra, he made a fierce mistake trying to out-bite a lion. Baliyo snapped his own jaws around the lead stallion's head and dragged him down.

Despite his violent efforts to break free, Baliyo carried him across the rocky ground and tossed his enemy among the other zebras.

Nirmala and Afia had now driven the other three zebras back. Surak, Nirmala, and Afia formed up around Baliyo who snapped his jaws forward with the others.

Eventually, their pressure broke the zebras' will and the zeal retreated, even their leader.

Baliyo let out a heavy sigh as he watched the zeal leave.

"Nice work Baliyo." Surak said with a warm smile.

"We all won that one."

"True but you've stepped up your leadership again." Nirmala added.

Afia tried to hide her true expression as she looked at Baliyo.

"How many has that been?"

"Two poacher groups and that makes three territorial herds. Looks like things are getting just as bad here as they are for Kion and his Guard." Surak said with some fatigue.

Baliyo's eyes lowered slightly. Surak's comment made him think back to his earlier attempts to talk with Rani and her reaction. The young adult lion reluctantly accepted more and more that his timing could have been better.

Still, Baliyo was determined to get Rani back into his life and Kion wasn't going to stop him.

"Come on, we better keep moving."

The sun slowly began to rise again over the Tree of Life. Surak and Nirmala went to return to their cubs Baliyo continued on with Afia.

Afia could see the angst in Baliyo's expression and in his movement.

"Relax, I doubt she'll still be agitated. Just make sure she's not still tired." Afia said as she nudged her head against Baliyo's.

"Right, she's tired." Baliyo yawned.

Despite the long night of protecting the kingdom, Baliyo was determined to have this moment with his sister.

The tree itself soon came into sight and Baliyo took one final deep breath while Afia gave him a look of assurance.

"You've got this." Baliyo nodded and rushed towards the tree. Afia carefully watched him from the hillside, unaware that Makini slowly approached from behind.

"Morning." The mandril said.

Afia nearly jumped out of her fur and yelped.

"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you." Afia caught her breath and eased her shoulders.

"You guys have a busy night?"

Afia let out a tired breath.

"You could say that."

"More poachers huh, it's getting just as bad for you guys as they are for Kion's Guard. Are you guys holding up alright?"

"For now. Though I do miss having more time on my hands. We barely have a chance to do any hunting between the different poachers that try and get in. But sometimes we get territorial herds who don't back down and that solves two problems at once." Afia gave a slightly malevolent smile as Makini nervously moved to the side a little.

"Anyway, you guys are holding up then?"

"As well as we can. It is nice getting to know Nirmala more. She's a joy to work with."

"And what about Baliyo?" Makini's tone became more to the point while her mouth gave a slightly interested grin.

Afia turned her face to the side to avoid a slight blush.

"He can complain a lot and isn't very subtle. He couldn't sneak up on someone to save his life."

Makini chuckled.

"Nirmala says he's become the leader of the Night Pride. Is she wrong?"

Afia's face turned more evasive.

"….Maybe."

Makini noticed Baliyo approach the Tree of Life.

"What are you guys still doing up anyway?"

Afia focused her expression on Baliyo with a warm smile.

"He needs time with his sister."

As Baliyo got closer he saw Rani emerge from the tree with Kion beside her.

Both seemed a little restless but not from fatigue. Baliyo could see worry across their faces as they spoke to each other. Baliyo couldn't hear what they were saying but their expressions made it clear something was bothering them.

After a nuzzle, Rani made her way to the nearby pond for a drink while Kion remained at the tree for a moment. The young king saw Baliyo approach and stepped into his path without realizing it.

"Morning Baliyo."

"Morning, Kion, I-" Baliyo attempted to move out of Kion's way but had come to close and was forced to a dead stop.

"How did your patrol go?"

"Fine, now-"

"Really? So you guys aren't facing more intruders than usual?" Kion didn't seem to notice what Baliyo was trying to do or rather who he was trying to get to.

"We are, I just-"

"I'm getting worried. More poachers than ever and now the Tundra Guard turning poacher." Kion lowered his head.

"Look Kion, I just want to…..Wait what did you say?" Baliyo's expression did an about-face.

"Oh right, you haven't heard. Yesterday the Tundra Guard entered into our tundra to poach some animals." Baliyo's face turned to horror. A Guard doing such a thing was something he couldn't fathom.

"What happened?"

Kion took a deep breath.

"No one was hurt, so we sent them off with a warning. If you see them here again without an escort, they're to be seen as poachers." Kion nearly growled.

Baliyo was speechless as he heard this. The lion moved his head around and noticed Kopa asleep near the brush with his companions.

"So, Kopa's still here then." Baliyo growled.

Kion's face turned even more conflicted as he looked out at Kopa.

"Yeah, he is."

"Kion, there's something you need to know about them. The other day I caught his friends spying on Rani."

Kion nodded.

"We know, Kopa told us."

Baliyo's eyes widened.

"He did?"

"He told us a lot actually. You should know too." Kion recounted everything Kopa had told Rani and himself the night before.

Baliyo's mouth was wide open and his fur nearly stood up.

"You guys are letting him stay?"

Kion closed eyes for a moment.

"For now, it wasn't an easy decision but Rani convinced me we should give him a chance to prove his point."

"Prove his point?"

"We've both seen an unprecedented increase in poaching and territorial herds. A Guard going bad out of desperation. I'm not saying Kopa is right about everything but there may be some merit to it. What do you think?"

Baliyo shook his head and thought deeply about everything he had been told.

"I don't know. You do bring up a good point, never in this kingdom's history have we seen so many poachers at once…Except when you guys first showed up." Kion gave a tired look as he saw his brother by law smirk.

"But in all seriousness, I don't think we can keep this up indefinitely. Especially if we have nearby Guards turning on us. I hate to say it but maybe Kopa has a point….To an extent." Kion slowly nodded.

"So you agree with Rani?"

"Look I knew he was hiding something upon his arrival. But it sounds like he's told you guys everything. I'm not crazy-excited about having a king-killer here but if Rani thinks there might be something to gain, we should at least give it a chance." Kion gave a slight smile.

"Well, I suppose that's it then. I understand you've taken leadership of the Night Pride."

"Yeah well someone had to after Rani became Queen. Surak and Nirmala didn't have it in them with their kids, Afia is still new to being in the Night Pride. It was a logical decision." Kion gave Baliyo a reassuring smile.

"Maybe but it was clearly the right decision. You're doing a great job as the Night Pride's leader, Rani thinks so too." Baliyo felt a warmth inside him that he had hoped to get that morning.

"Thanks, Kion." The King then saw how far the sun had risen.

"It's later than I thought. I need to go, it was good talking to you Baliyo."

"You too, Kion." Baliyo smiled as he saw Kion leave, oblivious to his original intentions.

Afia watched the whole ordeal and slammed her right paw into her face as Makini giggled.

Baliyo's eyes widened as he remembered why he came. The lion dashed around the pond but Rani was gone.

"Arrrrhhg!"

Kion and his Guard met in the desert area of their kingdom. Azaad had also joined them and stood beside Fuli.

"Alright I know we had a hard day yesterday but that's no reason to lose our spirit for today. Whatever comes our way we'll show them our dedication and strength!" Kion roared.

"Oh yeah, they won't stand a chance!" Fuli roared with a similar spirit.

"Azaad, we appreciate your help yesterday. You were a natural."

"Thank you, that means a lot coming from a King."

"It was good seeing you again." Beshte said as Azaad noticed Fuli's expression turned sour as she thought about Azaad leaving again. The male cheetah noticed this and thought carefully about what he should do.

"Well, it seems you lot are quite swamped. I don't have much going on back in the desert. If you need more help I could stay a bit longer. If you wanted my help."

Fuli's face lit up like the sun when she heard this.

"We'd be happy to have you with us." Kion smiled.

"Yeah, the life of a Lion Guardsman is almost too exciting. You'll love it in no time!" Bunga patted Azaad's shoulder with his happy-go-lucky expression.

"Some back-up will definitely be appreciated." Ono squawked.

"Well, if you think you can keep up." Fuli's smile made Azaad chuckle.

Beshte and Anga soon saw another group approach them and got into defensive stances.

"Kion." Beshte huffed.

Kion turned to see Kopa approach with Vegter, Obasi, and Beskerm.

"Woah woah woah! That's far enough!" Bunga quickly ran in front of Kion and got into a fighting stance.

"We know what you've done Kopa, Kion told us everything." Anga quickly held her wings up aggressively while the others followed suit.

"If you think we're going to let a king-killer near Kion-" Bunga started.

"I expected him to tell you as much. I don't suppose he also told you what I thought of him."

"That doesn't change anything." Beshte huffed.

"What are you doing here Kopa?" Kion growled.

Kopa and his companions bowed their heads humbly.

"We're here to do as I promised. We're here to help you rule." Kion kept his defensive posture.

"Rani and I will decide if and when to taken in your council."

"My King, I don't want to be a further burden to you. We only wanted to help restore order to the borders. But If you desire us to stand down, we won't bother you." Ono saw how conflicted Kion felt through his expression.

As much as Kion didn't want to admit it, he and Rani chose to let Kopa stay for a reason.

"Kion?" The Egret said softly.

"Wait…." Kion shook his head for a moment.

"Anga, can you see any poachers by the borders?"

The eagle flew up higher and peered around the Kingdom.

"Nothing right now." Kion nodded.

"We're going to the eastern Tundra. We'll see if there's any merit to what you say, Kopa." The older lion smiled in a hopeful and satisfied manner.

"I appreciate the chance."

Kopa tried to walk beside Kion but Bunga forced himself between them. The honey badger kept his fierce look as he stared Kopa down.

The others stayed just as vigilant of Kopa and his companions. Ono and Anga in particular as they watched from above.

"I think this is a bad idea." Anga said just loud enough for Ono to hear.

"Maybe but it's Kion's decision to make. We just have to trust him."

Anga still looked more than a little reluctant.

"I wonder though if Kopa has at least some points. Things are worse than they were when the hyenas, crocs, and jackals united. I don't know if I can keep up with so much poaching." Ono sighed.

Anga adjusted her neck with an uneasy agreement.

"I'm all for stopping the poaching but how we go about it."

Ono nodded.

"That's fair enough."

Beshte and Obasi exchanged intense glances. The mute rhino said more with his eyes and face than he could have ever done with his tongue.

"That's not a simple thing to lose, is it?" Beshte's face remained cautious as he spoke.

Obasi shook his head.

"I can't imagine how hard it must have been. How did it happen?"

Obasi gave a deep sigh and then looked angry for a moment. He then gave a more optimistic look as he motioned his head at Kopa.

Beshte's looked over at the lion, who still walked with a limp due to his injuries.

"Hey, Beskerm." Beshte whispered. The Tsavo lion slowly turned to Beshte.

"Yes?"

"Obasi, his tongue."

"Yes, needless to say, he doesn't like talking about it."

Beshte wasn't amused.

"What happened?" Beskerm sighed.

"The king of his home thought he talked too much. Notably when Obasi kept warning him that scaring out all the predators would destroy the circle of life."

Beshte's eyes widened and his body shook.

"No way."

"Kopa found Obasi and took him in when no one else would. Together we got justice for Obasi." Beshte slowly turned and gazed at the rhino with more sympathy.

The hippo now felt more conflicted about Kopa.

Elsewhere, Rani walked with Binga and Cadoc just overhead.

"Alright, your highness, our first task is acting as the intermediary between the African and Indian elephants." The fish eagle squawked.

"What's this one about? They still can't share the lake?" Binga chuckled.

"No, apparently they're debating over joining their herds together. They requested you to act as the objective intermediary and ensure things don't get chaotic." Rani nodded.

"Right, thanks again for coming, Binga."

"Don't mention it. Bunga's busy all day anyhow, helping you feels like a good use of time. Like I'm helping the whole kingdom."

"Hold on." Cadoc squawked. The eagle saw three figures approach.

Rani and Binga soon saw them as well. Jade, Talib, and Dakarai presented themselves before Rani, then bowed their heads.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing?" Binga quickly got between Rani and the arriving animals.

"Please, we bring words not fangs." Jade purred.

Rani took a deep breath as she carefully looked them over.

"It's ok Binga." Binga and Cadoc reluctantly moved aside as the three approached.

"Kopa asked us to help the queen in any way we can." Dakarai panted.

Cadoc flew closer to Rani. Mistrust and skepticism filled the eagle's expression.

"Your highness, I understand you have much on your plate. But do we really want their help considering what we now know about them."

Rani reluctantly shook her head.

"If you three are going to come, you'll do as I say." Rani growled in a serious manner.

"Of course." Talib and the others lowered their heads again.

Binga didn't ease her demeanor and stayed close to Rani.

Kion and his King's Guard arrived in the Tundra portion of their kingdom. The angst and tension among the animals there was so thick it could be cut with a knife. Between the news about Kopa spreading, fear of poachers, and now their neighbors preying on them, the tundra animals kept themselves much closer to the inner edge of the tundra.

Kion and his Guard's presence put them at some ease but it was offset by Kopa's party with them.

Ono noticed Ullu in a tree nearby keeping a vigilant watch over the tundra and landed beside her.

"Morning, Ullu."

"Morning. What are you guys doing here? Did Anga see something I didn't?" The snow owl sounded more on edge.

Ono shook his head.

"I guess that means you haven't seen any trouble from our neighbors." Ullu nodded.

"So far. I've kept a close eye on them. I still can't believe they'd do this. You guys have enough trouble as it is." Ullu hooted angrily.

"Well, we appreciate you keeping us informed."

Ullu looked a little embarrassed.

"Sorry if it seems like I'm piling it up."

Ono chuckled.

"You aren't responsible for them." Ullu sighed.

"I just know you guys are working yourselves to the bone. You guys haven't had much time to yourselves."

Ono sighed and nodded with a tired look.

"I know we have our duties and all but I do miss when we still had free time too. Beshte and I were able to learn so much about all the rare animals here."

Ullu smiled warmly.

"There's a lot to learn here. A lot you still don't know." Ono narrowed his eyes.

"Oh really. I'll have you know I was the most knowledgeable bird in Pride Rock."

Ullu laughed.

"Maybe but this isn't Pride Rock. There are animals here that don't exist anywhere else." Ullu aimed her wing at two Dire Wolves who dragged an arctic bison from the hunting grounds.

"Ha, give me a few days without Guard duty and I'll know more than you." Ono confidently squawked.

Ono unintentionally brought his long beak close to Ullu's smaller beak. Both quickly turned their heads away as they blushed a little.

"I uh, need to get going. Kion has plans in the eastern tundra."

"Right, I'll keep my eyes open for other poachers."

Ullu flew off and Ono returned to the others.

Kion led his Guard beyond the borders of their Kingdom and into the eastern tundra. Almost immediately upon entering the duchy, they could see signs of concern.

The foliage around the tundra showed signs of decay. Not only that but the herds were scarce. Many seemed to deter on the brink of collapse from lack of numbers. That is for those that remained. Many of the herds who could have been there were simply gone altogether.

"Huwezi what's happened here?!" Fuli almost frantically looked around.

Beshte looked on with sympathy when he saw how frightened many herds and predators looked. The wolves, tigers, polar bears, and wolverines all appeared scrawny and unfed.

Their cubs picked at bones that had no substance left on them with looks of sorrow.

"This isn't right." Bunga said.

"Corruption of Radcliffe." Vegter growled.

Kopa took careful notice of Kion's reaction and subtly moved beside him.

"A mad tyrant can bring suffering to more than just their own land." Kopa whispered.

Kion glanced over at Kopa for a moment but didn't slow down.

Finally, the Guard saw Advik with his guard near a cold pond.

Each was adorned with a series of wounds and looked equally exhausted.

"….I can't do it again Advik. We won't survive another fight." Ajitabh moaned. The falcon's body trembled as he spoke.

Advik gave a weary sigh.

"….We don't have a choice. We're the Tundra Guard, our duty is to-" Advik's eyes widened when he saw Kion approach.

"King Kion! I, we, you! We haven't intruded on your kingdom, I swear!" Advik fell to the ground in fear while the other sin his guard did the same.

"Advik, we came here to talk." The tiger slowly brought his head up but didn't look any more eased.

"Yyyes?"

Kion put his paw on the tiger's shoulder to try and steady him.

"Advik, we had no idea things were so bad here."

Advik's Guard kept their eyes at the snow.

"Advik, what happened to your land?" Kion's warm tone brought a slight bit of comfort to the tiger.

Despite this, Advik looked to be on the verge of tears.

"I'm a failure as a duke. I've let my land fall victim and become desolate."

Kopa approached the tiger with a firm expression.

"Poachers, your land has become overrun with them, hasn't it."

"We don't stand a chance against them. We can't protect our herds and they're being driven off or hunted to the last animal." Anahita moaned. The panther shook her head as she did so.

"Our own carnivores can't hunt without annihilating the few herds who remain. Without enough herbivores, the foliage is more susceptible to pathogens and is dying out and more seeds aren't being spread. The Circe of Life is falling apart!" Ajitabh squawked.

Bunga backed up a little.

"That's why you tried to poach from our lands. You were trying to feed your packs."

"That's no excuse." Taakat groaned. The big-brown bear kept his eyes shut.

Kion and the others had been so fixated on their own troubles, that they hadn't even considered what the surrounding lands faced.

"We're on the verge of being overrun by the poachers but that's not even the worst of it." Nidar whined.

"What could be worse than that?" Anga asked cautiously.

Advik raised his eyes in dread.

"Kuzimu."

Kopa, Vegter, and Beskerm growled while Obasi angrily huffed.

"Who's Kuzimu?" Fuli asked cautiously.

"He's Timber wolf, a very nasty one at that." Beskerm growled.

"He's one of Radcliffe's lieutenants. A battle-hardened hunter unshaken by injury or pain." Kopa carefully moved around Kion and spoke with heavy forbodance.

Kion looked at Kopa for a moment but then saw the sheer dread in Advik's Guard's faces.

"The other poachers give us trouble because of their numbers. Kuzimu's poachers are fierce and coordinated. Every time we try to stop him, we barely get away alive." Advik trembled in lament.

"If he attacks again, I don't know what we're going to do."

Kopa continued to circle Kion while Beskerm, Obasi, and Vegter strategically positioned themselves between the two lions and Kion's Guard.

This wasn't lost on Ono and Bunga but Advik's story filled them with too much sympathy to do anything.

"The duke has done his best but this land needs a King to protect it." Kopa whispered in a calm and charismatic tone.

Kion looked around at the suffering of the land and its animals with a newfound pain.

"Duke Advik!" An arctic wolf howled as she ran towards the two Guards.

"Duke Advik! The scarred wolf is back, he's going after the moose herd!" Advik and his Guard looked ready to pass out.

"No! That's the last herd with enough members to hunt. If they succeed, every carnivore here will starve to death!" Ajitabh squawked.

Advik grit his fangs and shook.

"We-"

Kion snapped his jaws with a fiery expression.

"We're going to stop him!"

"Yeah, we are!" Bunga shouted.

"Lead the way!" Kion roared.

Advik and his Guard's morale took to the sky like a bird.

"Yes! Let's go!" Advik roared.

Kion's Guard became just as fired up and quickly followed their King across the Tundra.

Kopa motioned for his companions to follow and walked forward as he was still too injured to run.

The lion gave a very satisfied smile when he saw Kion eagerly rush to this land's defense.

"Yes, Kion, yes. That's my King."

Kion kept himself close to Advik as they hurried through the snow. Anga and Ajitabh used their keen sight to peer ahead.

Over half of the herd had been surrounded by various predators. The predators were a mixture of wild dogs, a few cheetahs, and hyenas.

"They're surrounded!" Ajitabh squawked.

"Come on!" Kion reached the hillside overlooking the encounter and let loose a ground-shaking roar.

At the head of these poachers was a Timber wolf.

He slowly looked up at Kion and his Guard with a frightening gaze.

The wolf's appearance sent a chill down even Kion's back. The left side of his head was severely burnt, revealing the bone and flesh beneath it. The fur on his head sported a mohawk stained in dry blood.

The wolf's body was covered in various scars like a set of tattoos.

Kuzimu stared into Kion's eyes with his one eye. The wolf's expression was, fiery but subtle at the same time. He showed interest upon seeing the scarred king and his Guard.

"Uhhg." Bunga backed up a little in fright when he saw the wolf.

The wolf motioned back to his poachers and barked. Immediately they swarmed over the moose herd.

"Fuli, Azaad, get them away from the moose. Ono, Anga get the moose to safety, Bunga, Beshte, Obasi, Beskerm, Vegter, you're with me. Drive out the poachers."

Advik looked quite impressed at Kion's coordination.

"Be careful, these aren't your average poachers." Advik added.

"Huwezi!" Fuli, Azaad, and Anahita moved in like the wind. They managed to push through a gap in the poacher formation and tried to rush around the herd to frighten off the poachers. However, Fuli and Azaad were both caught off guard by the ferocity of these poachers.

They showed little to no signs of fear against the incoming attacks. So much that a few were hit by the cheetahs and immediately struck back. Anahita showed, more caution as she ran among them, though it gave similar results.

"Twende Kiboko!" Beshte rammed his immense body into a pair of hyenas and a cheetah, carrying them away from the moose. However, almost immediately upon landing in the snow, all three came up with their fangs out.

Beshte's earlier determination found itself thrown off by the unsettling eyes and expressions of the predators. Their pupils were so dilated they almost covered their irises.

Their faces showed little sign of thought or intelligence beyond natural instinct. As if each only had one thing on their mind.

The predators swarmed over Beshte now with merciless bites and claw strokes against the hippo's thick hide.

Beshte grunted in pain and used his immense strength to hurl them away. Despite this, all three continued to get up as if they felt no pain, though Beshte could see his blunt force was hurting them.

"Zuka Zama!" Bunga jump kicked a wild dog and then thrashed at another. At first Bunga felt confident as usual, however, the wild dog seemed to ignore the honey badger's ferocious assault and snapped his jaws around Bunga.

"Gaaah!" Bunga's tough hide helped him ensure the wild dog's jaws and he furiously clawed the predator's face.

Yet even as the marks on his face steadily grew, the wild dog didn't let up.

Bunga shifted his efforts to inside the wild dog's mouth and managed to free himself. Though it didn't last long. The first wild dog came back at him with his companion.

Bunga slowly retreated while narrowing his eyes.

"That's it, you asked for it!" Bunga turned his back to the wild dog and released a thick cloud of foul stink.

Taakat and Nidar were nearby and immediately covered their noses.

"Gahhh! Will one of these poachers eat me instead." Nidar moaned.

Bunga smiled for a moment but then watched in dread as he saw both wild dogs dash forward completely unaffected.

"Unbungalievable!" Bunga snarled and jumped into their faces.

Nearby Taakat and Nidar tried to fight off the other poachers. But even Taakat's great size and Nidar's swiftness yielded similar results as Bunga.

"Anga Linga!" Anga swept down into a striped hyena and flipped him onto his side. Yet in the same motion, the hyena snapped his jaws around Anga's right leg.

"Gaaah!" Anga felt the sheering pain of the poacher's fangs on her leg.

She mercilessly pecked and scratched at his head but the hyena wouldn't let go.

"Watch out!" Ono squawked. The egret flew in and rammed his beak into the hyena's head. The impact's force was enough for Anga to free her leg and slam the hyena back down.

"Thanks." The eagle said with immense relief.

"These poachers aren't acting like predators should act. They aren't operating with survival instincts, I've never seen anything like this." Ono trembled as he spoke.

"We'll worry about that later, get the moose to safety."

"Right! This way!" Ono flew down and led the moose herd away from the fight.

Anga noticed Ajitabh knock a wild dog back but was then swarmed by two others.

"Help! Help!" The falcon squawked in terror.

"Oh boy." Anga swallowed her fear and flew in. She pushed both wild dogs away despite their bites and grabbed Ajitabh by the back of his head.

The eagle pulled Ajitabh back into the air with a heavy breath.

"Thanks." He said sheepishly.

On the ground, Kion hurled a spotted hyena through the air with his mighty jaws.

A feral looking cheetah sped around him with two wild dogs nipping at his sides.

Despite this, Kion struck both dogs away with his paws and then body slammed the cheetah who tried to rush him.

Advik was nearby fighting off another cheetah. Beskerm and Vegter protected his flanks in a similar manner as Kion. Obasi meanwhile bum-rushed several that had forced Taakat onto his back.

Kion snatched and hurled another hyena away when he felt a sharp pain in his side. Kion collapsed into the snow with a horrible roar. Before he could fully react, Kuzimu appeared on top of the young King.

Kuzimu had moved so silently and swiftly, even Anga hadn't picked him up. The wolf didn't have Kion's size or strength but he did have skill. Kuzimu kept his paws down on the lion's throat and nerve ends to put terrible pressure on him.

Kion tried to force Kuzimu off but he was set in his position. The left side of his head that close to Kion coupled with the ferocity of his expression made Kuzimu appear more like a monster. The wolf seemed to relish in Kion's terror and struggle.

Despite this, Kuzimu also tried furiously to get his jaws around the lion's neck.

Kion fought back with everything he had and managed to keep Kuzimu only at his mane.

Finally, Kion slammed his right paw across Kuzimu's face and forced him to the snow.

Kuzimu quickly recovered and nipped at Kion's legs. The lion snarled in pain with each bite and scratch, he tried to strike back but Kuzimu moved with frightening agility. Each of Kion's grunts seemed to push the wolf on further and further.

That was until the fire in Kion's stomach came under his control and he directed it like a flamethrower. Kion lashed his paws out and finally landed the left one into Kuzimu's side. The wolf yipped as he felt plowed down.

Kion snapped his jaws around the back of Kuzimu's neck and dragged him through the snow. Kuzimu's attempts to break free were futile against Kion's steel jaws and the wolf grew disoriented when Kion shook him.

Meanwhile, Fuli, Azaad, and Anahita were up against few enough poachers to strike at them relentlessly with their speed.

Beshte's thick hide gave him the endurance to outlast his opponents and hurl them across the tundra. Even if they didn't feel pain, their bodies seized up. Bunga and Nidar drew their opponents' attention to them.

This allowed Obasi and Taakat to bulldoze the predators away.

Anga and Ajitabh circled the outlying poachers to corral them in. With this done, Advik, Beskerm, and Vegter furiously beat them back beside Kuzimu.

The wolf shook his head and slowly got up in immense pain. Kion stood across from them with both Guards beside him.

"This tundra isn't yours to prey on anymore. Come back and you'll face the consequences." Kion arched back and unleashed the roar of the elders.

The sky erupted in a tsunami of concussive power. This wave swept over Kuzimu's party and carried them off, well beyond the tundra.

Kion broke down into a heavy pant. The others followed suit immediately.

"Well, that was something." Bunga said as he fell over into the snow.

"Vegter feels sore." The Tsavo groaned as he looked at the series of bite marks on his body.

"What a terrifying bunch." Azaad said while shaking his head.

"No wonder you guys were in such bad shape." Fuli added.

Advik and his Guard looked just as tired but equally as optimistic.

"You did it, you got rid of them!"

"We-" Kion started before Advik rushed up and nuzzled the King's head while purring.

"You saved our lands! We're forever in your debt!" Advik and his guard immediately bowed to Kion.

The young King was a bit overwhelmed by this but Bunga and the others were quick to reassure him.

Beskerm, Vegter, and Obasi watched with great interest. They glanced over at Kopa who had watched the fight from a nearby hilltop.

A very satisfied smile emerged on Kopa's face.

"Good, very good."

Back in the savanna area, Rani and her party stood before a hyena pack.

Three females stood before Rani with nervous expressions.

"You all have equal claims but Banu has the most experience leading. The other packs respect her abilities and she's still in her prime. I hereby name her the matriarch of this pack."

The left hyena panted in excitement while the other two whined.

"By the authority of Queen Rani, you Banu are named matriarch of the spotted hyenas!" Cadoc squawked.

The other hyenas began to bark in excitement while Banu bowed to Rani. The hyena then strode past her competitors and nudged their heads.

"Come on cousins. I'm still going to need your help." Despite their disappointment, these two hyenas followed their new matriarch to the head of their pack.

Jade nodded with admiration as she approached Rani.

"A wise choice, your highness, she was the most suitable."

Rani sighed.

"It wasn't easy, turning down Bahar and Fa. I've known all three for so long."

Jade patted Rani's shoulder in a comforting way. Binga and Cadoc narrowed their eyes defensively. Both tried to stop her but Talib got between them and Rani.

"Being Queen often means making hard choices. But you considered the options, listen to counsel from those you trust, and made a decision that was your own. The right one at that. Driven by logic instead of emotion."

Rani glanced back at the others.

"Thanks for weighing in."

"We were honored." Dakarai panted.

"Yeah well, we know them well." Binga growled as she finally forced herself between Rani and Jade.

"So what's next?" Talib asked.

Cadoc kept his eyes narrowed at the buffalo.

"The Queen's next task is-"

"Queen Rani!" Queen Rani!" Another bird quickly flew in and bowed before the Lioness.

"My Queen, two ambassadors from Marinkos Island are here. They beg for your audience." Jade quickly glanced at Talib and Dakarai who nodded.

"Hey, hey what's with all the nodding?" Binga growled.

"Marinkos? What's it about?" Rani's expression became baffled.

"They requested to see you specifically." The bird aimed his beak over at two more animals who rushed over the hill. The first was a female hippo with bluish-grey skin and brown eyes. The second was an albino striped-hyena.

"Queen Rani." Both humbly bowed their heads before her but Rani could see the frantic demeanors in their bodies.

"Hello, you are?"

"Bellezza and Mungo, your majesty. We come on behalf of Marquis George." The hippo huffed.

"Old George." Rani smiled a little. She hadn't thought about him for a long time.

"Marquis George understands you're very busy but we're on the verge of a crisis and you're the only ones who can help us."

"You should go." Jade whispered as she got close to Rani again.

"Hold on, the Queen." Cadoc started.

"Friendly relations with your neighbors is essential now more than ever." Jade added with a subtle smile.

Binga and Cadoc forced themselves beside Rani again but the Queen took a deep breath.

"You're right. Let's go see what Old George is troubled with."

Binga saw Jade's smile and quickly pointed to her own eyes then back at Jade.

Bellezza and Mungo led the party as quickly as they could beyond the southern border to a more tropical area. They entered a series of sand dunes, the warm and soft ground felt a little good after so much walking that morning.

A gentle ocean breeze kept them from overheating as well.

Finally, they arrived at the coast itself. There they saw a lagoon the size of a massive lake. The lagoon was barely connected to the ocean and housed a large island in its center.

Many hippos could be seen swimming in the lagoon beside a few dolphins who had wandered inside.

Rani looked at the tropical island with a fond sensation. The last time he had been here was when her grandmother could still leave the Tree of Life. She had taken her and Baliyo there to see Marquis George.

Old George was the nickname she gave him. George was older than her grandmother, he was twice her age when she passed and he was still many years from natural death.

"This way." Bellezza said as she stepped into the water and motioned two other hippos over to act as a ferry across the lagoon.

"Welcome Queen Rani." One said as they bowed their heads.

"This place is beautiful." Binga's eyes widened in awe as she saw the tropical environment of Marinkos island.

They were carefully brought over as one of the dolphins performed a backflip for their visitors.

Binga, Rani, and Cadoc laughed in amazement as they watched the sea mammal perform. However, their excitement would be short-lived.

Almost immediately upon reaching the island's sand, all eight were hit by a barrage of voices like a boom of thunder.

"What is that?" Rani almost had to hold her ears shut.

Cadoc flew up above the line of palm trees and squawked when he saw an army of herds packed into the island.

"That is a lot of herbivores."

"This way." Mungo said in a tired growl.

Rani, Binga, and Cadoc's eyes remained wide as they tried to squeeze their way past the mass of herds on the island.

"Excuse us."

"Ouch, those are my wings."

"Shoving is not polite."

Rani saw a few smaller herds and predators amongst the mass of larger herds. These herds and packs looked almost browbeaten by the other herds. Most of the predators were either striped hyenas or lions.

The smaller herds tried desperately to feed off the island's dwindling foliage supply. The predators similarly tried to hunt from these herds but the mass simply locked together and forced the carnivores back.

Rani could only watch in horror.

"Make way for the Queen!" Jade snarled.

The herds had clearly not faced such ferocity in a while. Talib and Dakarai backed Jade up as they cleared a way through the herds.

"Uhh, thanks." Rani said almost sheepishly.

She had heard of Tsavo lion's ferocity but even she was a bit frightened by Jade's roar.

Bellezza and Mungo looked wearier as they pushed into the island interior and reached a small point in the center.

There a large tortoise rested on a rock within the pond while two more hyenas and two lions stood guard around him.

The tortoise was fast asleep. with a nearby tree providing him shade.

Seeing George asleep like that brought a smile back to Rani's face.

"Same Old George." She giggled.

"Woahhhh! Who do we have here!" A thick voice reached down from the tree above.

Cadoc looked up first and was slammed into the ground in front of Rani.

"Ohhh sorry about that, don't always see well in daylight. Can I give you a hand, nope, don't have any. Just claws!" Cadoc groaned at the fruit bat that now stood on top of him with crazy eyes.

"Mikey get off him." Bellezza huffed.

"Righty right, right." The bat flew into Rani's face and stood on her snout.

"Pleasure to meet you, your highness, I'm the Maquis's eye in the sky and-" Jade smacked Mikey off Rani while shaking her head.

"Is he right in the head?" Talib huffed.

"Not since we met him. Apparently, some strange creatures in the north messed with his mind." Mungo said.

Binga laughed as she watched Mikey's antics.

"He's awesome."

"Yah really think so! Sometimes I can't tell, you just gotta be lively is all and-"

Rani followed Mungo to George where the hyena poked at his head.

"Marquis, marquis. Queen Rani is here." He said gently.

The tortoise slowly opened his eyes.

"Hello George." Rani said with a warm smile.

The tortoise gave Rani back the same expression.

"Rani, pardon me. Queen Rani." George bowed his head respectfully.

"My you've grown and so beautiful too. You look like your grandmother when she was your age."

Rani giggled.

"You don't look half bad yourself George. I can see you have some problems here."

"You can say that again, and again, and again, and again, and." Bellezza put her foot over Mikey's mouth.

George sighed.

"I'm so sorry to bother you with this, Rani. But I didn't have anywhere else to turn."

"What happened?"

George slowly got to his feet and took a sip of water.

"A few weeks ago herds from lands beyond my own started to arrive. They claimed to be pursued by poachers and needed a safe place to take shelter. I let them stay here, so long as they abided by the rules of the island and understood hunting grounds are enforced. At first, it wasn't a problem….Until-" George stopped.

"Until more herds started showing up." Mungo sighed.

George nodded.

"They came over in numbers I'd never heard of before. Before I could blink the island had become filled to the max. My native herds can barely feed themselves and the predators are too outnumbered to do any hunting. The herds refuse to give up any of their members."

Talib huffed angrily.

"They'll exhaust the island's foliage and water. They'll spread disease and wipe everyone out." The buffalo's rage grew.

George nodded.

"I tried to reason with them but the herds won't listen to me, my lions, or my hyenas."

"We're on the verge of collapse here!" Mikey shrieked.

Bellezza kept her head down.

"Us Hippos tried to help but the herds threatened to cut our young off from water if we tried."

Rani's face became angrier but the kind of anger that drew action.

"Rani, if you could spare some area for my herds to graze and drink. Perhaps give my predators some time in your hunting ground."

Rani shook her head.

"That's not a long term solution George."

Jade saw this and carefully moved around Rani.

"A Queen's authority can carry more weight than a Lord's."

Rani growled.

"Don't worry George, we're going to help you."

"Really! That's wonderful! Marvelous! Magnificent! Sensationa-" Mungo put his paw over Mikey's mouth.

"They get it Mikey." Rani looked back at the mass of herds and smiled.

"I have some ideas. Talib, you look like you've organized a stampede or two before."

The buffalo grinned widely and nodded.

"Round up the local herds. Mikey?"

"Yes!"

"Why don't you and Binga find some frightening animals. We'll need their help too. Mungo."

"Your majesty?"

Rani smiled back at Jade and Dakarai.

"Gather up the predators."

George listened curiously.

"Rani, what exactly are you planning?"

Rani smiled wider as she whispered her plan to the tortoise.

His face became intrigued and a little flabbergasted.

"You're going to bushwhack them? Well, I suppose it's come to it. I've tried being diplomatic."

The mass of herds continued their apathetic leisure in the island until Rani took a position on an elevated position and roared with Jade.

Their combined voices earned the attention from most of Marinkos island.

"Attention, I'm Queen Rani of the Tree of Life! This island is the domain of Marquis George! He's been kind in letting you stay here but all of you are ignoring the laws of nature. Laws that keep the circle of life in balance! This is your last chance, some of you have to find a new home and the rest must abide by the same laws that all kingdoms have regarding hunting!"

The herds continued their apathetic expressions and simply ignored her.

Rani took a deep breath.

"Alright then."

Binga hid within a tree beside Mikey.

"Ohhh, this is gonna be great!" Binga nodded.

"Let's see how much you guys like it here now!" Binga let out her stick in the thick mass of herds. The countless herbivorous began to cough and tear up from the smell.

With Cadoc and Mikey's help, Binga was brought round the mass of herds.

Dakarai ripped and backed up when he got a whiff.

"Gaaah! I almost feel bad for them."

"I don't." Talib huffed.

"So you're really ok with being eaten someday?" Jade laughed.

"If they can bring me down." Talib huffed back with a thick smile, especially when he saw Bellezza approach from nearby.

"Showtime then."

As the various herds squirmed out of Binga's stink, many became separated from the bulk and stumbled into the trees.

"Boo!" A large anaconda hissed as he jumped from the trees.

"Ahhh!" Dozens of other snakes and small simians emerged from their hiding places.

On the ground level, Talib formed up with Bellezza, a line of Hippos, rhinos, Tapir, and Okapi.

"Payback time." Bellezza huffed.

The mass of local herds charged with the force or rolling thunder. The massif rival herds outnumbered them but were scattered.

Talib's charge brought the rival herds into a panicked charge in every direction.

Jade smiled.

"It's time." Rani nodded. Around here was a formation of jaguar, hyenas, and lions.

"Attack!" Rani sprinted forward, fangs and claws born as Jade and Dakarai stayed close. Mungo and the others followed behind.

Now disorganized, the herds were unable to synchronize a defense and collapsed into a dead sprint towards the island's edges.

In the aftermath, a quarter of the rival herds remained. Each stood before Rani and George with the same look a child gave when being disciplined.

"So, for those who still want to stay, are you going to live under George's rule?" Rani growled.

The various herds nodded.

"Good, I hope we can get along fine. My island is always open to those who need refuge, so long as they preserve the circle of life."

The herds dispersed and George let out a sigh of relief.

"Rani, I can't thank you enough."

The lioness smiled.

"It was nice seeing you again George. I'm glad things are better here."

"For now." The tortoise said forbiddingly.

That evening, Rani approached the tree with Binga and Cadoc.

Kopa's companions had already left and Binga yawned.

"What a day. I'm getting just as tired as Bunga is…..Maybe, I don't know."

"I appreciated your help, both of you."

"I live to serve, my Queen." Cadoc bowed his head before flying off.

"Say goodnight to Kion for me!" Binga waved goodbye before she went off to the wetlands.

Rani finally reached the tree when she saw Kion approach. Rani's usually excitement for his return was stolen when she saw far more fang and claw marks on her mate than usual.

"Kion!" Rani rushed over and nudged her head against him.

"Kion, what happened?!" The young king panted heavily but gave a slight smile.

"I'm ok. I actually had a very good day."

When he reached the tree, Rani licked each of his wounds diligently as Kion explained what happened.

"Ullu says she didn't see Kuzimu or his poachers for the rest of the day. After that, there were only three other poacher groups we had to stop."

Rani gave a very warm smile as she nuzzled Kion's face.

"That was very noble of you guys. I knew Advik's Guard couldn't turn to poaching without cause."

Kion tried to keep his smile but struggled.

"I've never seen predators like the ones Kuzimu had. Ono says they were all male, the way they fought. It was like they had no regard for their own survival."

Rani nodded.

"That is scary to think about. But hopefully, the roar convinced them to hunt elsewhere."

Kion's optimism returned slightly.

"Hopefully. It sounds like you had a good day too."

Rani nodded.

"I still can't believe those herds took advantage of George like that. It's like everyone around us is going insane."

"Kopa convinced me to do something." Kion admitted.

Rani carefully nodded.

"His companions did the same for me." Both looked at each other hard before embracing.

"What do you think?"

Kion was silent for a short eternity.

"I don't know. He wasn't wrong about helping Advik."

Rani nodded again.

"I'm glad Jade convinced me to help George. I remember playing on his island with Baliyo when we were cubs."

Kion's head lifted up for a moment.

"Baliyo, that reminds me. He and I talked this morning about Kopa." Rani raised her head in interest.

"Really, what does he think?"

"He agrees with you for the most part. But it seems like they still bother him." Rani sighed.

"I can't really blame him…." Rani lowered her head again.

"It feels like it's been forever since I really saw him. Since I started my Queenly duties in the day." Kion gave Rani a warm nuzzle.

"It's about the time he gets up for his patrol. Why not see him now?"

Rani raised her head.

"You're right, I should. Thanks, now rest in the tree until I get back. I'll properly nurse those injuries for you." Rani gave Kion another long lick across his face before she ran off to the savanna.

Surak and Nirmala both nuzzled their cubs before Kanda came to watch over them.

Baliyo and Afia watched this from a hillside.

"Ready for another diligent night of protecting our home?" Afia asked.

Baliyo forced a smile to his face and nodded.

"What else would I do with my nights?"

Afia kept an evasive look but took a deep breath as she focused in on Baliyo.

"I don't know. I hoped to one day spend alone time with someone special." Baliyo's expression did an about-face. Both lions' faces turned red as their hearts raced like a cheetah.

"Anyone in particular?" Baliyo nervously asked.

Afia smiled bashfully and approached him.

"Well-"

"Baliyo!" Baliyo grit his fangs and nearly shook as he heard Rani's voice pierce the gentle breeze.

Afia and Baliyo saw the young Queen approach before Afia broke out into an uncontrollable laughter.

Baliyo couldn't help but chuckle at his own expense considering what had happened date the other day.

"I'll see you when you're done." Afia brushed her face against Baliyo's before she left.

When Rani reached Baliyo he turned his smile onto her.

"Well, it seems the Queen finally found time for her little brother."

"Always the dramatic one, Baliyo." Rani chuckled before the siblings gave each other a quick nuzzle

The two sat down on the hillside and overlooked the rest of their Night Pride together.

"Kion tells me things are going well with the Night Pride. He even said you've taken charge."

Baliyo nodded confidently.

"I do my best. A humble prince can only do so much."

"Well, if that's the case, I suppose I could put Afia in charge."

"No!" Baliyo almost roared with a look of terror. The idea that Afia could give him orders was more frightening than any intruders.

Rani just kept laughing.

"I'm glad you guys are doing good. Even with so many new threats." Baliyo took a deep breath.

"I know….Do you really think this Kopa has the answers?" Rani didn't look fully sure of herself but stayed firm in her stance.

"Maybe, it can't hurt to listen. We don't have to agree with everything." Baliyo nodded.

"True. I just wish things could calm down a bit."

"Definitely. So, you and Afia." Baliyo nearly jumped as he saw the smile on Rani's face.

"I, we….It's nothing!"

Rani laughed.

"It didn't look like nothing. You know it's perfectly alright, Baliyo. I chose Afia to replace me for a reason. I think she'd take very good care of you."

"Take care of me?!"

"Well you know, now that I don't have time too."

"Why you!?" Baliyo pounced onto Rani and began wrestling with her. Several minutes passed and Baliyo found himself pinned against the grass.

"I win again."

"I wasn't ready!"

Rani chuckled.

"And I'm exhausted." Rani let Baliyo up and nuzzled him again.

"I better get going, the others need me….It was great seeing you again sis, we should do this more often."

Rani smiled warmly back at him.

"Yeah, we should."

Baliyo finally joined the others with much more cheer to his demeanor.

"Alright Night Pride, come on! We have a Kingdom to defend!"

Surak's eyebrow raised.

"Someone's in a good mood." Nirmala chuckled.

"I am! It's a good night! We're fighting the good fight!"

Afia joined Nirmala as Surak shook his head.

"At least he's not complaining." Surak said.

"Night Pride!" A familiar hoot filled their ears.

Ullu flew over their heads with a frantic look and landed on a nearby tree branch.

"What's wrong, Ullu?" Baliyo asked.

"I saw a group of shady lions approach from the west."

Baliyo turned to the others and growled.

"Come on, let's go!"

The four raced across the path with Ullu above them.

They reached the western pass in time to see the intruders approach.

Just as Ullu said, there were five of them. All were lionesses around Baliyo and Afia's age with pale-tan fur that was a bit shaggy. The lead lioness had violet eyes and a fiercer expression.

Baliyo and the others couldn't put their paws on it but these lionesses seemed familiar somehow.

"Halt!" Baliyo growled as the Night Pride got into a defensive stance.

"We seek the Tree of Life." The lead lioness announced.

"This is the Kingdom of the Tree of Life. Are you here to heal?"

The lead lioness growled.

"No."

"Poachers aren't allowed." Surak added.

"We're not poachers!" The lead lioness growled with more frustration.

"Really, because more poachers have been appearing and you lot look like poachers." Afia growled.

The other lionesses began to growl in frustration.

"My name is Vitani! I'm the leader of the Pride Rock Lion Guard!"

Baliyo's eyes widened as he saw the marks on their shoulders.

"Yes, I remember you! All of you were at Kion's coronation!"

"Right, you were the jerks who stole their positions after they left." Afia laughed.

"We didn't steal them!?" One of the lionesses snapped back.

"They had to leave, you took the position and refused to give it back. That's stealing." Afia continued to laugh.

"What business do you have here?" Baliyo asked.

"We're here hunting a fugitive. Kopa." All four of the Night Pride lions looked at each other nervously.

"We know Kopa is here!" Vitani growled.

Surak shook his head.

"I do miss when this place's location was a secret."

"Kopa is wanted for various King's deaths and attempted murders. King Simba tasked us to bring him in and that's what we're going to do. So just hand Kopa over and we'll be on our way."

Baliyo stood tall and firm.

"Here's the thing. Kopa was invited to stay by Queen Rani and King Kion. As such he's under their protection, which means he stays as long as they want him too."

Vitani and the others lost their breaths for a moment.

"They know what he's done. That Simba banished him. Tell Kion his father wants Kopa brought in!"

"Here's the thing, Simba isn't king here. Kion is, and Rani is Queen. I do what they say, not what Simba says."

Nirmala and the others smiled as they saw Baliyo stand his ground.

"Let me talk to Kion." Vitani growled.

"Our King is sleeping."

"Then go wake him!"

Baliyo shook his head.

"He's a very busy lion and needs his rest. You're welcome to wait until morning but you're not getting past us."

"Forget them Vitani, use the roar on them." One of her lionesses growled.

"Go ahead, do that and see how warm a welcome you'll get once inside." Surak said.

The two Guards stared each other down with thick intensity until finally, Vitani turned away.

"This isn't over."

Baliyo smiled.

"It is for now."

Author's note

Much has happened now

This chapter was much longer than I thought it would be, I hadn't planned on it being so many words, future chapters won't be as long

I have enough OCs now, also as I said, I will need to make some changes to what was submitted to fit the story

So until next time,

Please review, comment, suggest, or ask(VIA PM)


	5. Chapter 5: United

The sun had begun to set around the Tree of Life. Kopa carefully watched Kion walk towards the tree itself. He saw Rani dash over to Kion when she saw his injuries and smiled warmly at their reunion.

Beskerm was beside Kopa and sighed.

"Where's Jade."

Vegter and Obasi laughed a little under their breaths.

"They should be back soon."

Vegter readjusted his back as the various claw and bite marks he sustained during the fight earlier flared up with pain.

"Vegter hate Radcliffe's soldiers."

Kopa nodded.

"Regardless, it's good Kion experienced them firsthand. Word of mouth will only go so far in convincing him. He's taken the first step in the right direction. Very soon, the surrounding lands will swear fealty to Kion and Rani."

Obasi nodded with Vegter confidently.

Beskerm didn't seem as sure.

"Convincing Kion and Rani perhaps. But what happens if any of the surrounding lands refuse to submit to them?" Kopa's companions glanced back at him.

"Let's not worry about that right now. Remember we don't have to persuade them. Radcliffe is more than enough persuasion. Right now we need to focus on convincing Kion and Rani it's the right thing for them to do. Which means we have to wait until the others get back."

Kopa waited several minutes. until finally the rest of his party arrived.

"There you are. You look like you had a fun day." Jade laughed as Beskerm approached her and nuzzled the lioness's head.

"Kuzimu." Beskerm growled. Jade and the others slowly nodded in understanding.

"It was a productive day, regardless. Kion is on the right track, what about Rani?"

Talib huffed with a content smile.

"She may not have seen Radcliffe's forces but she's finally seen the direct result of his corruption."

"Not only that but she's willing to directly involve herself to help lands beyond her own." Dakarai panted.

Kopa's smile grew.

"Kion and his Guard were seen as saviors. What about Rani?"

"It was perfect, the locals followed her as if she was already their Queen." Jade smiled similarly.

Kopa slowly nodded.

"Good, very good. Our next step is ensuring the strength of this Kingdom. Whatever is to come, Kion and his Guard cannot endure it alone."

"What do you have in mind?" Beskerm asked.

Kopa adjusted his back and stood up taller.

"I'm starting to feel a little better. You should all get some rest. I'll handle this myself."

"Kopa?" Vegter growled. The others looked just as concerned.

"Trust me, I'm fine. You all need rest more than me."

In the savanna, Kanda wrestled with Vadik and Vala by the long grass.

"I gotcha! Oh no, you don't!" Kanda playfully growled as she came down on the cubs.

Idan nervously approached Kanda from the brush and took a deep breath.

"Evening, Kanda."

"Oh hey, Idan, what are you up to?"

"I just wanted to see if you were ok. Gael and I didn't see you in the hunting ground today."

"Oh right, sorry. I did my hunting last night, I can't stay up as much during the day with these two to look after." Idan stared down at the two cubs with a hint of frustration.

"You really enjoy watching them?"

"Well, they can be a handful, but I know they're parents are too busy. Between their Night Pride duties and Nirmala's healing."

"But they're not even your cubs? I….Gael and I miss you." Kanda sighed.

"Look, Idan, I appreciate what the Night Pride does too much for us. They've done too much for me. I really need to do this."Idan took a deep breath and nodded.

"Sorry to bother you."

Idan walked off with his head down. Kanda tried not to look upset but she glanced back at Idan one more time.

"Kanda, what's wrong?" Vadik asked.

"Huh? Oh, nothing. Kanda's friend is just sad."

"Why is he sad?" Vala asked.

"He's sad because I don't get to spend as much time with him anymore. Because of you two." Kanda growled in a playful manner.

"Is he your mate?"

Kanda's face turned red.

"No!"

"I think he is!" Vala shouted.

"Why you little!" Kanda playfully wrestled both cubs to the ground.

Idan slowly walked through the savanna and gazed at the various herds around him. In particular, he noticed many male and female wildebeest sleeping beside each other.

"There you are." A familiar growl reached Idan's ears.

"Come on it's getting late, we should-" Gael saw the depressed look on his friend's face.

"What happened?" Idan was quite and the second lion simply shook his head.

"Kanda again, you need to give it up Idan, she's just not into you."

Idan growled.

"That's not it! She's just always trying to help Nirmala and Surak." Idan snarled in frustration.

"Well, they did save her from poachers when she was a cub." Idan 's anger melted away and his head dropped again.

"I know….Maybe you're right. I shouldn't be so selfish."

The two laid down near the brush and were about to close their eyes when a pair of strong paws hit their shoulders.

"Gahhh!" Both lions snarled and looked up to see none other than Kopa over them.

"Good evening, young men."

"What the? Who are you?" Gael growled. Idan, on the other hand, gave a slightly horrified look.

"You're that king killer!" Kopa's expression was calm but firm.

"Yes, I am."

"What do you want?" Gael growled.

"I want to help save this land and everyone in it." Gael and Idan gave very unconvinced looks at each other.

"Your King and Night Pride are driving themselves quite hard to protect this land and everyone in it."

Idan glanced to the side a little.

"We know."

"You appreciate your monarchs' diligence but what are you willing to give back." Both looked a little confused.

"Huh?"

"When the time comes and they asked you to do the same? Would you have the dedication to follow them?"

Gael and Idan were taken back by what Kopa said.

"I, we."

Kopa's face looked stern.

"Just something to think about." Kopa walked off but carefully glanced back at the two lions. Both of whom were now filled with much inner conflict.

Idan in particular.

Kopa then approached the forest lake and a few Indian elephants there.

The following morning, Kion and Rani slowly awoke beside each other. Kion yawned and stretched his legs out. The young King could feel that after a night within the tree, most of his injuries had healed.

Kion's attempts to get up were hampered by Rani who intentionally put her head and upper body onto Kion's upper body.

"Come on, we have to get up." Kion laughed.

Rani purred with her eyes still shut.

"What if we just took one day off. Have Bunga and Binga run things for us."

Kion laughed harder.

"King Bunga and Queen Binga."

"Just for one day. You and I have some alone time all morning, then we go about the Kingdom without worrying about running it, then we spend the evening with Baliyo and Afia."

Kion rested his head against Rani's.

"That does sound nice. So Baliyo and Afia?"

Rani giggled.

"I told you."

"It does sound great. But maybe we can find a way to have it without neglecting our duties."

Rani gave a long sigh.

"You're probably right." The two stretched and slowly got up. But Rani's somewhat conflicted look remained.

Kion noticed this and turned to face her.

"Rani? Is everything alright?"

She took a deep breath.

"Kion, I've just been thinking. Since Kopa arrived he's emphasized the future of the Kingdom and what it could be. But I've also wondered what it could mean for us?" Kion tilted his head slightly with a confused look.

"What do you mean?" Rani took another deep breath.

"I'm talking about cubs." Rani said in a very blunt manner.

Kion's eyes widened and his body went still.

"Ohhh." He said nervously.

"Kion I think it's about time we had this talk."

"Right, so is this your way of telling me-" Kion nervously started before Rani laughed.

"No, Kion. I'm just saying we should talk it over."

"Well it's not like we haven't been, you know." Rani nodded with a similarly amused smile.

"Hard to forget. But I think we're at the point where we should make a bigger effort towards our family. That's what you want right?" Rani's expression turned slightly nervous until Kion warmed her up with a long nuzzle.

"There's nothing I want more Rani. I guess with everything else going on, it didn't stay at the front of my mind." Rani gave a relieved expression.

"Well, at least we're on the same page about it."

"Morning guys!" Makini shouted as she came in.

Kion and Rani sighed with slight smiles as the mandril interrupted them.

"I guess that means we'll have to talk later. Before Cadoc has a fit." Rani nodded.

"Definitely." Rani walked towards the entrance but put on a very particular smile as she glanced back at Kion.

"But you should know Kion, I want lots of cubs." Kion began to shake a little as Makini stopped in place for a second before turning to the lions.

"What?" The mandril asked in complete confusion.

As the two came out, they were met by Baliyo and the Night Pride.

"Oh morning everyone." Rani said until she saw they each looked more freaked out than Kion had a few moments ago.'

"Is everything ok?" Kion asked.

Surak shook his head.

"Friends of yours are here from Pride Rock."

"Friends?"

"Vitani and her Lion Guard are here to arrest Kopa. They come by your father's orders." Nirmala growled.

Kion felt his heart race and he quickly turned to Rani.

"What did you tell them?" Rani almost frantically asked.

"We reminded them that Simba isn't King here and that you two decide who comes and goes." Baliyo said confidently.

The King and Queen nodded.

"Thank you for that." Kion shook his head.

"This just got a whole lot more complicated." All six looked out at Kopa who slept nearby with his companions.

"What are you going to do?" Afia carefully asked.

Rani and Kion gave each other hard looks and slowly nodded.

"Get some rest, we'll take it from here."

Kion's Guard had assembled at the Tree of Life beside their King and Queen.

Binga and Cadoc also joined in beside Rani.

Kopa stood across from Kion with his own companions but wasn't beside him.

Directly across from the monarchs were none other than Vitani and her own Guard.

The Pride Rock Lion Guard exchanged fierce gazes and growls with Kopa's companions. Kopa didn't seem angry or even agitated. His calm expression only seemed to put Vitani more on edge as she snarled at the wounded lion.

"Alright Vitani, you wanted to talk. Let's talk." Kion said trying to sound calm.

"What is there to talk about!? That lion is a murder! Everywhere he goes he spreads chaos and war!"

"We bring justice and prosperity!" Jade snarled back.

Kopa motioned for her to stay calm.

Rani took a deep breath.

"We were under the impression Kopa had been banished from Pride Rock. Why does Simba want him now?"

Vitani continued to growl.

"His latest attempt on a King's life. King Radcliffe of the Northern Savanna sent an emissary to Pride Rock and demanded justice for the attempt on his life. Simba has had enough of Kopa's nonsense."

King Radcliffe, the name Kopa had brought up many times before. The one he claimed was responsible for most of the land's woes. The one he claimed Kuzimu served.

Now he had gone his father for help. Kion hadn't heard his father talk about Radcliffe before. He wondered if he even knew the king or just respected his position. But what if Kopa was lying. What if Radcliffe wasn't as Kopa described and it was all a ruse for something else.

Bunga and the others carefully looked at Kopa. But the lion didn't seem anxious or even upset. He only looked calm and collected.

"Kopa, what do you have to say about this?" Kion asked.

Kopa stepped forward and respectfully bowed his head.

"I told you the truth already, your majesty. Nothing she has said contradicts what I told you."

Kion and Rani felt their muscles tighten.

Kopa wasn't wrong either. So far Vitani's claims were in line with everything Kopa already admitted to.

"Why are you even harboring this monster?! This is insanity!" Vitani roared.

"Monster?" Kopa slowly approached Vitani alone. Her lionesses formed up around their leader but Kopa wasn't intimidated.

He came within an inch of Vitani's face and stared into her soul.

"I've seen real monsters, monsters like your mother."

Vitani began to tremble and she wasn't alone. Kopa's demeanor was enough to make the other lionesses back up.

"I stand by everything I swore too. I'm here to help the King and Queen. Everything I've done has been to better these lands and protect the animals who live here. If they're still unconvinced of my intentions then so be it. I submit myself to their judgment." Kopa bowed to Rani and Kion again.

Kion looked at Rani and his Guard.

"What do you guys think?"

None had an easy look on their face.

"….I mean, he was right about the eastern tundra I guess." Bunga nervously admitted.

"It always seemed like he just wanted to help. But that's only how I saw it." Beshte said.

"I've kept a close eye on them, so far I haven't seen him do anything to go against us." Anga said with great reluctance.

"I never fully trusted him. But this is a dangerous place we're in. His help has been good so far." Fuli said.

"You've given him a chance. I don't agree with everything he's said but sometimes it's important to hear those things too." Ono added.

Azaad, Cadoc, and Binga each sighed.

"We'll trust your judgment." Azaad said for the three of them.

Kion and Rani felt their stomach muscles tighten to the point of discomfort.

"Kopa has killed other Kings. He's admitted to it." Rani nodded.

"But if they were really like how he described them, was he trying to help more animals?"

Kion grit his fangs.

He could see both sides and there was no simple decision. If he let Kopa stay he'd be opening opposing his own father and every other king who Kopa challenged. The idea of this incident creating a wedge between himself and his family terrified Kion to no end.

However, since Kion had met Kopa, he had been dutiful, committed, and selfless. While sometimes bold, everything Kopa preached was to help their Kingdom. Kion had to remember that as much as he loved his family, Rani was his family now too, and the Tree of Life was his Kingdom to protect.

Doing it as his father did was unsustainable in their current situation. But more than that, Kion could feel it in his bones that something else was at work. It was as if his ancestors were calling out to him with a warning. But what was it?

"Rani, I think we should let him stay." The Queen took a deep breath and opened her eyes.

"I agree." Their friends slowly nodded with mixed emotions.

Kion and Rani faced Vitani again.

"We've made a decision. Kopa stays here, for now."

"What!?" Vitani's dumbstruck cry was echoed by her Guard.

"However, the stipulation is that Kopa will remain here under our watch. He won't leave without our permission." Rani now focused her intense gaze on Kopa himself.

"You stay here, you obey us. You become our vassal." Kion added with a growl. Kopa immediately bowed his head with unhesitating devotion.

"Of course, my lieges. I am yours to command."

"You can't do this! He's a criminal! Your father-" Vitani began.

"Simba isn't King here!" Cadoc squawked as he flew in front of Vitani.

"You will respect the King and Queen's judgment!"

Vitani's guard came up beside her at the same time Kion's came up around him.

Kopa's companions similarly formed up around him.

"Kion when your father finds out-"

"If my father disagrees with this decision, he can come and tell me himself!" Kion growled fiercely.

Vitani carefully examined the situation and eased her stand a bit.

"I'll show you out then." Cadoc squawked.

Vitani's Guard slowly followed Cadoc towards the western entrance. As they did so, Kopa's companions each gave satisfied grins. Much to the Lion Guard's chagrin.

Kion took another hard breath and looked over at Kopa again.

"Kopa!" The lion approached Kion.

"My King?"

"Are you able to keep up?"

"I am."

"Good, because I'm putting you to work today. If you really are committed to advising us." Kopa smiled.

"Always."

Jade, Talib, and Beskerm followed Kopa as they joined Kion's Guard.

Rani watched them closely upon their departure.

"We'd be honored to help you as well, your grace. If you'll have us." Dakarai panted as he bowed with Obasi and Vegter.

Binga and Cadoc gave tired and somewhat defeated expressions as they saw Rani nod.

"Here we go again."

Kion's Guard found themselves near the southwestern edge of their borders, where they faced off against a poaching party.

Kion slammed his paw against a jaguar's head and hurler her several feet away.

"Twende Kiboko!" Beshte slammed his head into two more jaguars near Kion's flank.

Azaad, Fuli, Anga, and Bunga carefully encircled the poachers, severely limiting their ability to move.

"This way!" Ono squawked as he guided a few water buffalo, pangolin, and orangutan towards the river.

Beskerm, Talib, and Jade got in front of the retreating animals, then immediately fought off any jaguar that tried to pursue them.

Kopa watched closely from nearby. He wasn't alone either, near the river a few yak, peacock, and sun bears also watched the encounter.

Kopa carefully moved closer to some of the animals and walked among them.

"Inspiring is it not."

The sun bears slowly nodded.

Kion hurled another jaguar into the ground before the others saw they were nearly surrounded.

"Just forget it!" The lead jaguar, moaned before she ran away with the others.

"Whew. Another poacher pack sent packing." Bunga wiped some sweat off his brow.

Kion glanced at Kopa as he approached. All the while Anga and Ono watched carefully.

"I hate the way he's always watching Kion. It's really creepy." Anga said.

Ono sighed.

"It's not just Kion, I noticed him talking with some of the subjects during the fight."

Anga's eyes narrowed.

"What did he say?"

"I don't know, I couldn't make it out."

"Do you think we made the right choice?" Anga nervously wondered.

"The choice is made. He's here now, all we can do is see if it was a mistake."

Anga flew closer to Kion when she noticed something in the distance with her keen sight.

"Huh?"

Kopa reached Kion with a look of admiration.

"Well? You talk about advising me. Anything?" Kion asked almost impatiently.

Kopa shook his head.

"No advising is needed in this situation, sire, you handled yourself as well as any King could."

"Kion, are you ok?" Beshte whispered to him.

The young King took a deep breath.

"For now." While Kion didn't want Kopa gone yet. He felt more than a little anxious over the situation with Vitani. Now Kion was opening defying his own father and family. The fear for what might come next compounded with the stress already on his mind.

"Kion! We have a situation!" Anga squawked.

"What is it!?"

"I see a poaching party in the distance. They're just like the ones from yesterday, feral, ignoring pain and fear!"

Kion quickly got into an aggressive stance with the others.

"Are they coming!?" Fuli growled.

"They're already at there. The Jungle Principality's border. Prince Rune and his Jungle Guard are fighting them as we speak!"

The King's Guard gave unsure looks at each other. They didn't want to abandon another Guard who needed help. But doing so meant abandoning their own posts again. They also weren't eager to fight more of the feral poachers.

But still, they had helped Advik and his Guard for a reason.

"Are they losing?" Kion nervously asked.

"They're outnumbered, and aren't looking too good."

Kopa brushed up beside Kion.

"Will you leave them to their fate?" Beshte huffed as he pushed Kopa away.

"It's his decision." The hippo said with a very defensive look.

"My decision. I say we help them." Despite what Beshte had just done, he immediately nodded without hesitation. Nor did the others show any.

"Let's go!"

Jade, Beskerm, and Talib smiled with Kopa as they followed the King's Guard beyond the border.

Within a few minutes, they could see the jungle's edge. Massive trees filled with lush foliage towered above them with dozens of animals moving about in the upper canopy.

At the basin, however, they saw a fierce melee going on.

A gorilla, an elephant, two lionesses, and two male lions fought off over a dozen of the feral poachers.

One of the male lions led the Jungle Guard. He was much larger than the other male. He was even larger than Kion and Kopa. Though not quite as big as Beskerm.

But perhaps the most striking feature of this lion was his fur and mane. Both were as white like snow rather than albino. His eyes were light blue and the tops of his ears were black.

The feral hunters were once again, a mixture of hyenas, wild dogs, and cheetahs. However, Kion and the others saw at least one feral lioness among them. The lioness looked very much like Vitani and the other former outlanders.

The Jungle Guard fought well and with good coordination. But the ferocity of their opponents was just as potent as it had been for the King's Guard.

Despite the instinctual fear each of them felt, Kion's Guard didn't slow as they approached the fight.

"Ono, Anga draw their attention away from the Jungle Guard. Azaad, Fuli, Jade, attack their flank. Talib, you and Beshte go right in to break them up. Bunga, you and Beskerm are with me."

"Alright! Zuka Zama!" Kopa stopped before he got too close. His longing to join the fight himself was offset by the practicality of his recovering body.

The white lion avoided the feral lioness's paws and then slammed his own across her face before pouncing her onto the ground.

Before he could do anything else, a much larger predator slammed into his own side.

Kion had never seen a creature like this one before. She was larger than either lion and had a tiger-like striped pattern that was very faint upon a lionesque tawny background. She also had rosettes that were sandy colored.

Her eyes were fierce but not feral like the others. Instead, Kion saw a cold emptiness in her expression. One devoid of emotion and feeling.

Kion snarled and pounced into the creature's side. The mystery predator hadn't been expecting this and was quickly hurled off the white lion.

However, before Kion could exploit his surprise, he felt a punishing paw stroke against his face. The blow was harder than a large rock to the face and Kion stumbled backward for a moment.

The mystery predator began to carefully circle him as Kion regained his senses and did the same.

The feral lioness made a mad dash at Kion's back but was intercepted by the white lion. At that moment, Kion and the mystery predator charged forward and collided into a ferocious melee. The two predatory cats stood on their hind legs and swung at each other like professional boxers.

Their jaws ruthlessly snapped at the other with roars so loud it nearly deafened them both. Kion was in awe at the predator's sheer strength. He was able to hold his own for now but her size and power forced the King to commit every bit of strength he had.

Bunga and Beskerm fought hard to force the feral predators off the Jungle lionesses.

"Will you feel something!" Bunga cried out in frustration. His claws raked against the legs and side of a hyena meticulously but he wouldn't let his jaws off the lioness's leg.

When Bunga saw another wild dog rush at the lioness's face he shifted tactics and jumped onto the dog's face. There Bunga grabbed hold of the poacher's lips and snapped his feet around the dog's neck.

"Try to get me off!" The feral dog did just that but to no avail. Bunga held on tight and forced the creature to run about. With the second threat gone, the lioness slammed both paws into the hyena's head and forced his jaws open.

Azaad, Fuli, and Jade rushed in towards the gorilla who furiously lashed out with his arms at the circling predators. Despite his indicating fangs and bulging arms, the smaller hyenas and cheetahs were unfazed.

Three were brutally beaten back but two snapped their jaws around his legs. With a roar of pure agony, the gorilla collapsed onto his stomach where the other poachers swarmed on top of him.

"Huwezi!" Fuli snarled. She pounced a hyena off the gorilla's back while Azaad and Jade did the same.

Fuli wrestled the hyena to the ground but was bit across the leg.

"Ahhhg!" Fuli shrieked. She clawed furiously across the hyena's stomach and bit his own leg. But just like before, the feral animal showed no weakness to pain.

A feral wild dog quickly joined in and mauled Fuli's side. The cheetah backed up only for the hyena beneath her to join his companion. Fuli used her speed to avoid most of their attacks but the two were ruthless. Any of Fuli counter attacks only resulted in both enduring the pain and striking her as a result.

"Ahhhhh!"

"Fuli!" Azaad desperately tried to reach her but was too bogged down by other poachers. Jade couldn't reach her either.

Fuli breathed more heavily and felt both predator's breaths against her. Fuli was about to collapse in pain when a louder roar filled her senses. The gorilla had gotten back to his feet and snatched both predators in his hands.

With a furious huff, the gorilla smacked their heads together and hurled them away.

Fuli shook herself up and saw the gorilla nod.

They quickly joined Azaad, and Jade against the other predators by the flank.

"Twende Kiboko!"

Beshte rammed two cheetahs back from the elephant's left legs but immediately felt their bites against his own side.

Talib similarly ran his horns against two hyenas who attacked the elephant's right legs.

Both endured the pain of their relentless attacks. But didn't have to do it for long. The elephant snatched one of Beshte's attackers with her trunk and hurled him into one of Talib's.

With only one attacker each, Beshte and Talib grade them forward and ran at each other. With a hard impact, the hyena and wild dog were knocked unconscious.

The second male Jungle lion did his best against the remaining wild dogs with his paws and jaws. Luckily for him, he had Ono and Anga backing him up.

"Anga Linga!" Anga squawked as she swooped in at any wild dog that tried to flank him.

"To your left! Now behind you!" Ono squawked. The lion smiled confidently as he listened to the egret and kept himself safe.

However, Ono now saw Kion's own battle and nearly lost control of his wings as he saw who his friend fought.

"Hapana! A ligress!"

Beskerm and the white lion kept the other attackers away from this duel.

Kion managed to land several blows and bites onto the ligress but she endured them almost as well as her feral poachers. Her own strikes weight down on Kion heavily. Each one nearly forced him off her.

Kopa watched them meticulously. He felt his muscles tighten and his teeth clench when he saw Kion get hurled to the ground with another blow.

The ligress came onto Kion and snapped at his neck with her emotionless gaze.

"Come on, you can do it!"

Kion felt a fire ignite in his stomach and he snapped his fangs around the ligress's lower jaw as she came down again.

While the ligress squirmed in pain, Kion kicked up with his hind legs and forced her off him.

Now free, Kion almost brutally crashed his paws across the ligress's upper body and head. He could feel the thickness of her bones with each strike. With a final headbutt, Kion hurled the ligress away from the jungle.

Kion saw his Guard gain the upper hand and raised his head up to the sky.

Kopa began to laugh in excitement as he felt the air tremble around them.

Kion let loose the roar of the elders around them which quickly swept through. Several nearby vines snatched up three of the hyenas and hurled them beside the ligress. Others were carried together by smaller tornados until finally, they merged into a single twister that carried the entire party away.

Kion gasped for breath and nearly dropped his head to the ground in exhaustion.

" 'Huff' is everyone, 'huff', ok?"

"I'm unbungalievable….I just need to lay down for a minute." Bunga tumbled onto his back before he was joined by one of the jungle lionesses and the gorilla.

Fuli almost tumbled over but was helped up by Azaad.

"Are you ok?!"

Fuli panted heavily.

"I really hate those guys." She growled.

The white lion slowly approached his gorilla and lioness companions on the ground.

"Jelani, Halle, are you hurt?"

"A bit but nothing some rest won't heal." The gorilla huffed.

"I can't believe there was a ligress here. I've heard of them before but I thought they were just a myth." Ono nervously said as he landed beside Kion.

"She was powerful, whatever she was." Kion panted.

"Timora was her name." Jade growled.

Beshte sighed.

"Another of Radcliffe's lieutenants I take it."

Talib nodded.

The white lion now approached Kion with a humble expression.

"Kion."

"Rune."

"I appreciate the help, that got a bit hairy for a moment."

Kion nodded.

"We encountered them the other day. We know how dangerous they are."

"This isn't our first run-in with them either." The elephant shook her head.

"Those vile hoodlums have kept us on the verge of collapse for too long! They've made dealing with ordinary poachers nye impossible!" She huffed with a weary expression.

Kion and the others could see the same fatigue in the Jungle Guard that they saw in Advik's Guard.

Kopa slowly approached and bowed his head.

"Are you well, my king?"

"Well enough. Rune, this is Kopa, my advisor. Kopa, this is prince Rune. Ruler of the Jungle Principality."

"A pleasure, your majesty." Kopa spoke just as respectfully to the white lion.

Rune looked slightly confused.

"I didn't know you had a royal advisor." Kion looked less than confident.

"He's, new."

"Prince Rune! Prince Rune!" A high-pitched squawk filled the air around them. Kion saw it was particularly grading on the Jungle Guard.

A green parrot frantically flew down from the jungle and almost danced around in front of the white lion.

"Prince Rune! More poachers are coming from the north!"

"No rest for the weary it seems." The other male lion groaned.

Kion gave a hard look and was about to offer more help when Anga spotted another bird approaching.

"Kion! Guys! There you are! You have to hurry, there's a poaching party heading for the….Woah, what happened to you guys?" Ullu stopped as she saw the exhausted looks on their faces and the wounds on their bodies.

Kion and Rune gave the same strained sigh.

"Let's go."

Kopa's companions remained close to him as they watched the Guards depart.

"What do you think?" Kopa asked.

Jade smiled with Beskerm and Talib.

"I think they're ready to do it."

Kopa smiled and nodded.

"Indeed. Radcliffe will be the architect of his own undoing."

Kion and his King's Guard trekked across their Kingdom until they reached the poachers by the desert entrance. They stopped them from advancing any further but with great difficulty due to their fatigue.

Beshte panted as if he were a dog and stumbled to an oasis.

"Need to rest, need to rest." The hippo crashed into the water and soaked Fuli who was nearby. The cheetah was too tired that she didn't seem to care.

Kion similarly laid down in the soft sand with Bunga, Anga, Ono, and Azaad.

Each struggled to keep their eyes open.

The young King was so tired, he almost didn't notice Kopa approach with a concerned look.

"Kion, can you handle another?"

"Huh?"

"Can you handle another fight today?" Kopa's voice turned sterner.

"Of course we can…We're the Lion Guard." Bunga moaned.

Kopa shook his head.

"Kion, you've taken the right steps to fix the real problem. But you still don't grasp what truly needs to happen." Kion's expression turned almost agitated.

Despite how tired he was, Kion rose to his paws and growled.

"Don't take me for a cub, Kopa. I know what this is about. It's what you've pushed me for since you first got here. You want me to rule over all the surrounding lands!" Kion nearly roared.

Kopa and his companions didn't try to hide anything in their eyes. Kopa simply nodded.

"Yes, I do."

"I'm not taking any land that isn't mine!"

"Kion! For your talks of not being a cub, you still see this world far too black and white." Kopa began to slowly circle Kion. His friends were far too tired to get in Kopa's way.

"You are a diligent and dedicated ruler. I have no doubt the surrounding rulers are much the same. But you have a strength and passion they don't. You also possess the ability to inspire others." Kopa now stood directly in front of Kion and gazed deeply into his eyes.

"There is more than one way to expand one's realm. Sometimes a larger kingdom is a stronger and more prosperous one. Just listen to what I have to say."

By midday, Kion and Rani were together at the tree of life. Kopa slowly paced in front of them with the Guard standing close behind their monarchs.

"We offer to let them live under us?" Rani asked in confusion.

Kopa nodded.

"This Kingdom and the surrounding lands all face the same problems. Yet you try and face them alone. United, under your leadership, all of you could prevail. All of the Guard would answer to Kion and go where they're needed. The other rulers would work under Rani to govern all your lands."

Rani was taken back by this proposal. Just as Kion had been when Kopa first suggested it.

The others seemed equally intrigued by this idea.

Rani and Kion looked at each other with great inner conflict.

"We can't just ask them to give up their independence."

"Do you consider your current subjects to be under tyranny? If the other lands willingly became your subjects how would they be any less free than those already here? Those lands would still be overseen by their current rulers. They would simply swear their loyalty to you. When their help is needed they will come and when yours is, so shall you."

Kopa brought himself directly beside the two monarchs and gave them a calm but vehement stare.

"I will respect your decisions. Tell me to drop it and I shall never suggest such a thing again. I only ask that you both truly consider what's happening. What you've faced in the last few days, in the last several months. Has my counsel proven itself wrong yet? Can you not see my logic?"

Kopa moved so close they could almost feel his breath.

"I've said it before and I'll say it again. My entire life, I've searched for rulers like you. I've seen kingdoms with a strong ruler but this land has two! A King and Queen who rules with a passion and dedication! With the strength and leadership, all Kingdoms deserve!"

"With power and authority comes humility. A feat both of you hold." Talib huffed.

"Together with the other kingdoms, this lands would be as good as gold." Dakarai panted.

Kopa's companions now circled him.

"United lands are stronger than divided." Jade growled.

"Surely you don't need to be guided." Beskerm added.

"You have the power to make these lands a better place but it's also a reminder that you don't have to rule alone! The rulers who swear their loyalty will rule with you! Their skills will be brought to your disposal and yours to their aid!"

Kion stepped back and gave one final bow.

Kion and Rani began to pant heavily. Their hearts raced as fast as Fuli or Azaad and their eyes turned to the others.

As much as any of them wanted to call out Kopa's plan as insane. But none could muster words or counterarguments. Nor were they alone, Makini, Ullu, and the Night Pride had all been called to the meeting and almost shook in awe.

Surak opened his mouth as if to speak but nothing came out.

"…What, what do you guys think?" Rani trembled as she asked.

"I, I don't know. Things are more chaotic now than they ever have been. You guys have tried to help the other lands but is it enough?" Baliyo asked.

"I mean, maybe if you didn't think of it as ruling over the other lands but leading those there." Ono slowly added.

"…We've tried doing it alone, we're barely hanging on." Fuli sighed.

"….You guys, you guys." Bunga sighed as Binga padded his shoulder.

"You guys should do what you think is best. You haven't led us astray this far."

Rani and Kion saw the same expressions upon the others.

Both took one more deep breath and stared into each other's eyes.

"I guess it's up to us." Rani nodded.

"…..What would my father think, or your grandmother?" Rani lowered her head for a moment as she thought deeply about what Kion said. However, she came back up with a more determined expression.

"I don't know if it's what they would do. But we're not them. What we face is what they face or had faced."

Kion looked back at his friend's one more time.

He had fought with them for years but he had never seen them so weary or exhausted. Nor had he felt such tiredness. Kion never thought he'd be a King, he imagined himself protecting Pride Rock until the day he died. Now, he ruled a Kingdom like no other, he had never imagined such a proposal as being right. But could it be?

Kion raised his head to Rani one more time.

An hour later, George, Advik, and Rune sat before the Tree of Life with their Guards.

Kion and Rani stood before them at the tree's base. Cadoc and Ullu bowed their heads.

"All three, as asked." Cadoc squawked.

"Thank you for being so quick about it." Rani said with a warm smile.

"What's this all about, we have lands to protect." Rune growled with a hint of impatience.

"They would not have called us here if it weren't important." Advik growled back.

Kion and Rani both took a deep beep breath.

"We appreciate you all coming here. All of us face the same problems, the poachers and territorial herds are worse than any of our lands have ever faced before."

All three rulers and their Guards let outweary sighs.

"Indeed." George almost moaned.

"We've tried dealing with it alone but the truth is we're all connected. This is one problem and as such we should face it together." Rani growled more confidently.

"A joint venture, that does sound interesting." The old tortoise smiled while his Guard thought fondly of Rani's help the other day.

Kion motioned forward with the same confident expression.

"What we're suggesting is all of our lands be united, as one kingdom."

"What!?" Rune and Advik shouted. Both nearly jumped but George stayed calm.

"You would swear loyalty and recognize us as your King and Queen. We'd take leadership of all the lands and Guards. In return, your herds and packs would be free to enter this land. Graze and use our hunting grounds. Similarly, the herds and packs here would be given the same access to your lands."

Rune shook his head defiantly.

"Give up our positions as rulers so you can rule instead!?" The white lion growled.

"Your lands would still be ruled by each of your in an immediate sense. None of you would give up your titles. It would just mean you'd follow our leadership when it's needed." Kion added.

Advik carefully glanced at the two monarchs.

"We'd still have a say in things?"

Rani smiled and nodded.

"We're not asking you to become our slaves. All three of you are good rulers, I'd need all of your help to rule the new Kingdom. You'd have say here too, not just in your original lands."

"A say but you'd be the ultimate authority." Rune continued to growl.

"Is that so bad?" George said in his rational tone.

"Have these two been such bad rulers that following them is a punishment?"

"We'd also offer something else. All of us have fought hard to protect the borders of our lands. But there are too many poachers. What all of us need is more protectors and we have just that." Kion smiled as he turned his head to another group of animals approaching.

Bunga smiled as he and Baliyo led several tigers, sun bears, elephants, buffalo, and lions forward. Both Barbary and Night.

"Everyone here has offered to bolster your Guards when needed. They'd hunt and graze in your land when it's necessary but they'd also protect your lands. Our lands." Baliyo said with the same optimism as his King and Queen.

Idan slowly stepped forward and stood tall.

"I'm ready to fight for my Kingdom!"

Advik almost had stars in his eyes as he looked at the squadron of dedicated animals.

Rune wasn't quite as resistant as he had been but still hesitated.

"And what if we say no?"

"Then that's that. Nothing changes." Rani said calmly.

"We want this to happen by your choice. We understand why you wouldn't want to do this…We also won't turn our backs on those who chose to stay independent." Kion spoke with pure honesty and sincerity.

All three rulers could see it in his and Rani's eyes.

Advik stepped forward.

"You saved my land, my people. Even after we betrayed you. I would be privileged to call you my King and Queen." Advik eagerly bowed before them.

George gave a warm smile and slowly came forward.

"I always regretted not listening to your grandmother more often. I'd be a fool to make the same mistake twice, my Queen." The tortoise joined Advik in a bow.

Rune almost shook as he contemplated his options. The prince carefully looked back at his own Guard. He saw the answer on their faces and slowly nodded.

"What will Mary and the children think?" Rune sighed before he bowed down.

Kion and Rani felt a rush of excitement fill their beings.

The King's Guard, Night Pride, and other protectors let out shouts of glee that carried across the Kingdom.

"Now then, let's set about ruling this new Kingdom. Together." Kion growled.

Kopa and his companions watched from nearby. Many of them let out similar chants.

Kopa himself was quite but he smiled passionately at the rulers below.

"At long last, my vision is realized. Now we just have to ensure it stays on course."

Two days passed and Ullu flew over the newly united Kingdom. However, she didn't fly alone, a parrot, a bat, and a fish eagle flew with her.

All four carefully watched the new borders for trouble.

"Wowzaaaah! Got something! Coming innnnnnnn!" Mikey shrieked upon his rapid descent.

A large group of jackals rushed towards the northeastern border when Mungo cut off their path. Beside the albino hyena were two others, two island lions, and two Night Lions.

"Going somewhere?" Mungo growled.

"Just try and get past us." Idan added.

Elsewhere, a large herd of boars forced their way through the long grass towards the Jungle entrance.

The boars chased away any small animals in their path. However, upon reaching the Jungle, much larger animals awaited them.

Rune growled with his much larger Guard beside him. An additional elephant, a buffalo, and three Barbary lions now joined him.

"I'll give you a moment to reconsider your options."

Ravenous panthers and leopards waded through the snowy Eastern Tundra. Their eyes were closely set on a flock of penguins swimming in a half-frozen lake.

That was until Advik and his Guard revealed themselves on the hillside between them.

Bolstering the white tiger's Guard were three other tigers and two sun bears.

"Try your best." He growled with a confident smile.

Finally, a large group of striped hyenas rushed at the western entrance.

"The way's open! Come on!" Their leader laughed.

He didn't see the white snow owl watching them from a nearby tree branch.

"They never learn do they?" Ullu chuckled.

Just before the hyenas could reach the entrance, they saw Kion on the rocks above them. His Guard stood confidently beside their King along with Vegter, Obasi, and Dakarai.

"You should have tried when we were on the brink." Bunga said confidently.

Kion simply opened his mouth and roared.

Rani meanwhile walked with her own part besides Binga. Kopa, Jade, Beskerm, and Talib were also with her.

Each in her party had a lively expression as they looked around at the many new subjects who visited this area. Animals from all corners of the new Kingdom interacted with each other.

"There they are!" Binga shouted.

Rani saw several animals waiting for her by the Tree. Among them were George, his Hippo advisor Bellezza, a bright yellow lioness, and another white tiger.

"Queen Rani." George said as he bowed with the others.

"Marquis George, Princess Mary, Earl Cael."

"Greetings my Queen, my brother wanted me to thank you again for the haste of the additional protectors this morning." The white tiger said.

Rani smiled wider.

"Duke Advik always has our support. Now then, shall we get to work."

"Yes, we have a Kingdom to manage." The lioness said eagerly.

The sun had not even begun to set when Kion met with the other Guards.

"Anything else out there?" Kion asked Ullu. The snow owl gave an eager shake of her head.

"Nothing."

"Not a thing! Zip! Naddaaaa!" Mikey shrieked.

"I like the new system. Much more efficient." Mungo chuckled.

"All thanks to our King and his coordination." Advik graciously purred.

Even Rune couldn't hide his optimism.

"This is much better than working separately."

"Yeah, it is!" Bunga shouted.

Kion simply gave a proud expression.

"Outstanding work today, from everyone. We'll still have to keep our eyes open but it looks like we got them all. I'd say we'll meet again tomorrow, same time."

The other Guards bowed their heads before departing.

Rani and her council, meanwhile, had returned to the Tree of life.

"Alright, we definitely had a productive day. Your plan for the river distribution was very interesting George."

"You only have so much water on an island." The tortoise chuckled.

"We got everything done in great time. I'll see you all in the morning."

"Of course, your majesty. We look forward to it." Mary purred as she bowed with the others.

"Uhh, George, do you mind if I stick around for a while?" Bellezza asked.

"Certainly, I'll see you later tonight."

Two of George's Okapi helped the Tortoise up to hasten his pace.

"There they are!" Binga shouted. Rani saw Kion return with his King's Guard.

"Back already?" Rani asked almost eagerly.

"The new Guard system is working well, very well." Kion said before he gave Rani a warm nuzzle.

"Free time to ourselves, I almost forgot what it felt like." Fuli chuckled.

Kion turned back to his friends and nodded.

"You guys have earned this rest. We'll meet back up only if it's an emergency. If not, the day is yours."

"Finally! Not that I don't enjoy time with everyone." Anga said carefully.

"Well if you need us, we'll be dirtying up the wetlands." Binga grabbed Bunga's right paw and quickly pulled him off.

"We never did settle on that rematch, darling." Azaad growled in a cocky fashion.

Fuli narrowed her eyes as she growled back.

"Don't make challenges you can't win."

"The desert then?"

"If you can keep up!"

Both cheetahs ran off with great haste.

Ono landed beside Beshte and looked out at the land around them.

"Looks like we can finally get back to learning about the different animals here."

"Actually, I'm still a bit worn out. I might head to the lake for a bit."

"Ohh, ok. Maybe later than?"

Beshte nodded.

"Have fun."

Beshte was about to head out when he noticed Bellezza nearby.

"Are you heading to lake Pratimbimba?"

Beshte nodded.

"Bellezza, right?"

The female hippo nodded.

"I'm still trying to uh, get more familiar with this place and-" Rani could tel where Bellezza was going by the tone of her voice and her nervous expression. Kion and Beshte, however, seemed blissfully oblivious.

"No problem, it took me a while to figure everything out too." He guided her off as Rani smiled.

"So adorable."

"What is?" Kion asked with a confused expression.

Rani nearly broke out laughing before she nuzzled Kion's face.

"After that, you."

"My King, Queen. Your new Kingdom is off to a good start." Both lions' earlier skeptics and hostility had waned. It was still quite early into this new system but so far it was working just as Kopa promised.

Not only that but the other rulers had done so willingly and also benefited.

"You may have been right. Things have gotten much better." Kion admitted.

"I only gave you the option. It was you who saw it through. It has been my honor and privilege to serve under you."

"It has for all of us." Talib huffed. Kopa's companions joined him as they bowed humbly.

Kion and Rani both smiled back.

"I'm sorry we ever doubted your intentions, Kopa. I don't care what the others may say, you're a good lion."

Kopa's usual contained demeanor nearly broke down in emotion when he heard Kion say that to him.

"Thank you. That, I, it means the world." Kopa almost wiped a tear from his eye.

"Don't get all sentimental on us now." Jade chuckled.

"This mean we stay?" Vegter asked.

Rani nodded.

"I'm not letting you guys go anywhere."

Ono took off but soon heard someone else beside him.

"Ono." Ullu nervously hooted.

"Ullu, I uh didn't see you there. My eyesight still isn't what it use to be."

Ullu giggled.

"I think you underestimate yourself."

The two looked back at the ground below them.

"So Beshte couldn't join you?"

Ono shook his head.

"He's just a bit tired. Hippos don't do well in the sun for extended periods. I don't know how he handled it so long before we united."

"Well, I haven't had much time to learn more about the different animals here either. If you wouldn't mind another partner?"

Ono smiled warmly.

"I'd be glad to observe with you."

As the sunset around the Tree of Life, Kion and Rani slowly traversed their land and greeted their various subjects.

Joining them were Baliyo and Afia as they rested atop a hillside.

"I've missed this, just walking around the Kingdom without having to run it." Rani said as she slowly inhaled the fresh air.

"Do you miss the stars or moonlight?" Baliyo asked with a humorous expression.

"More than the company I kept." Kion and Afia nearly broke out in laughter as Baliyo playfully growled.

"She gets so bold when she rules a larger kingdom. I'd watch yourself Kion, before long she'll see you as below her."

Kion chuckled.

"I'm just King consort, I already thought that was true."

"Would you stop!" Rani laughed as she tried to wrestle her mate onto the ground.

Baliyo shook his head with a slight smile.

"Do they have to do that right in front of us?"

Afia growled.

"You're right, we should make it even!" Baliyo was blind-sided by Afia's pounce and was taken to the ground within moments.

Eventually, all four rested on the ground beside each other.

"I really wish I could have served beside you, Rani and you too Kion."

"I know what these two thought of my friends and I when we first got here. But what about everyone else?"

"Hmm." Afia tapped her right paw against her lips.

"The scar and roar were a little unsettling. Then there was the poachers you dragged here and the Poa incident."

Afia looked down at Beshte as he waded through the lake with Bellezza nearby.

"But like the Night Pride, we warmed up pretty quick. I wish your friends from Pride Rock were the same." Kion sighed.

"I don't know if I'd exactly call Vitani my friend. I guess we're technically family because of Kiara and Kovu. But we don't exactly have a great history."

"Meaning what exactly?" Baliyo asked with interest.

"Is she your ex?" Afia giggled.

"No!" Kion almost growled. The idea of him and Vitani nearly made his body shake.

Rani similarly narrowed her eyes in frustration at Afia.

"The first time I met her is when her mother stole a watering hole from my friend Jasiri."

"Ohh, Jasiri. How friendly were you with her?" Afia narrowed her eyes in a sly manner.

Kion and Rani gave more annoyed looks.

"Jasiri's a hyena." Rani growled.

"I'm not here to judge."

"Come on, Afia." Baliyo nudged against Afia's head as she laughed.

"Anyway, I ended up using the roar on her and their pride. I didn't see her again until years later when she had taken our position. I guess I respected her dedication enough to trust her with the duty. But it's not like we ever really became friends."

"So if she hadn't taken the position you'd have stayed there?"

"That's it!" Rani snarled and sprinted after Afia with a feral gaze. Afia didn't stop laughing as she ran from her furious Queen.

Baliyo and Kion watched the chase with a few nearby animals.

"Sorry about that, Afia can be, well."

Kion chuckled.

"It's fine. I just hope Rani doesn't catch up to her."

"Me too." Baliyo said with a hint of fear for his companion.

"You haven't seen Vitani again have you?" Baliyo shook his head.

"No, didn't you send her away?" Kion sighed.

"Yeah, I'm just wondering how my dad's going to take it."

Baliyo put his paw on Kion's shoulder.

"Your dad has to trust you. I didn't get to know him that well but from what I saw he was a good King. He'll respect your decision."

Kion nodded.

"I hope so. We were wrong about Kopa from the beginning." Baliyo begrudgingly nodded.

"Things are better here. They might even get better than they ever were if it keeps up. It's nice to finally have the time to see my sister again." Baliyo smiled warmly as he watched Rani.

Kion nodded.

"Sometimes I wish I could see Kiara again, and my parents."

Baliyo's expression changed immensely. He had never thought much about Kion's family. Only a week ago, Baliyo nearly resented Kion for taking up so much time with Rani. The young lion never even considered how Kion never saw his own family anymore.

"Well, why not bring them here?"

Kion carefully looked back at Baliyo.

"Bring them here?"

Baliyo nodded.

"They're my family now too, technically. I'd love to get to know them more. I'm sure Rani would to-" Baliyo was cut off when Afia crashed into him. Both lions tumbled over and nearly rolled down the hill.

Rani panted as she came up beside them.

"You wouldn't hurt your brother too!" Afia moaned sarcastically as she hid under Baliyo.

Rani shook her head and came closer to Baliyo.

"Your girlfriend talks too much." Afia continued to chuckle as she got up and shook her fur.

Baliyo gave her a quick nuzzle before Afia went to get a drink.

"You chose her as your replacement?" Rani moved her eyes evasively.

"Her skills are admirable. But I don't know if she's right for you."

Baliyo shook his head.

"I think she makes me better." Rani saw the passionate look in her brother's eyes as he watched Afia.

"….Maybe but I have high standards for my brother's partner. Much higher than the standards of a Night Pride member."

"Wow, those are some high expectations. Can anyone meet them?" Baliyo asked with a smile.

Rani looked deep in thought for a moment.

"We'll see."

The brother and sister gave each other a warm nuzzle.

"Whoooo! There you two are!" Baliyo and Rani gave a combined sigh as they looked up at Ullu. The snow owl flew over with an almost bashful expression.

"Nirmala and Surak are up. They wanted to know if you're ready?"

Baliyo shook his head.

"Yeah, we're ready." Baliyo said in a lackluster manner.

Afia shook her head dry and came up beside him.

"Come on, we should go before the Queen makes a lioness pelt."

Rani kept her intense expression at Afia.

"Don't tempt me."

The two lions departed with Ullu as Kion came back up beside Rani.

"Are you ok?"

Rani took a deep breath.

"Yeah, sometimes I'm just glad I didn't have a sister growing up. We may have killed each other." Kion laughed.

"Sister's aren't so bad."

"When they only have a brother. You see I know exactly how Kiara must have acted towards you because I have a little brother too. But if I have to have a sister…..Afia." Rani shook a little.

The two returned to the Tree of Life interior when Kion noticed the sun had now completely set.

"Well it's getting pretty late, do you want to call it a day?"

Rani turned back with a very mischevious smile.

"Kion, we have other things to take care of first. The matter we talked about two days ago." Kion felt his heart race.

"Right."

With a slight growl, Rani pounced into Kion and pinned him down.

"Now then, let's get started." Rani slowly licked across Kion's face as he did the same to her.

That night, Vitani paced before her lionesses a few miles from the Tree of Life's western border.

Each of the lionesses gave a weary expression as Vitani growled and walked before them.

"Vitani, we've been here for two days. Maybe it's time we just go home." Kasi nervously suggested.

Vitani furiously faced her companion.

"Simba sent us here to bring Kopa in. We're the Lion Guard! Our King has given us a mission and we've never failed before!"

"The King will understand." Imara added.

"Understand? Understand that his own son is harboring a murderer and openly defies him! I'm not putting that on Simba or Kiara. There has to be a way to convince Kion to hand Kopa over."

Tazama shook her head.

"He and Rani seemed adamant. We can't convince them and there's no way we'll be able to take him by force." Shabaha groaned.

Vitani let out an exhausted sigh.

"Perhaps I can offer assistance." All five lioness shot their heads up and looked around.

"Who's there?" Vitani growled.

A white figure appeared from the shadows. One that was larger than the lionesses.

The figure revealed himself as a white tiger with a sizable scar over his left eye, leaving him blind there.

The tiger moved slowly and particularly as he circled the lionesses. His one good eye examined them with close diligence.

"Who are you?" Vitani asked with her growl.

"Forgive my sudden interruption. My name is Shetani, a servant of King Radcliffe. My King sent me to meet Simba's Lion Guard. Vitani if I'm correct?" Vitani kept a close eye on the tiger as he circled them.

"Yes."

"King Radcliffe is most grateful for how serious King Simba has taken the attempt on his life. For him to sent his Lion Guard with the legendary roar of the elders is a great show of respect."

Vitani sighed.

"I don't think we'll be able to get Kopa. King Kion and Queen Rani have taken him in. They refused to give him up."

Shetani slowed his pace and lost his smile.

"King Kion is Simba's son, why would he do this?"

Vitani shook her head.

"I wish I knew."

Shetani stopped for a moment and patted his lips.

"Perhaps there's a way we can accomplish this."

"How? Tazama cautiously asked.

"Simple, my King has a number of mercenaries in his service. These mercenaries are willing to do, unconventional, jobs for him."

Vitani kept her guard up as she kept her eyes on the tiger.

"Like what?"

Shetani smiled.

"Such as posing as poachers. They are quite convincing and very resilient, should they approach the Kingdom as poachers, Kion and his Guard will respond. That will give us an opening to sneak inside and find Kopa."

"What, that's crazy, we can't do that!" Imara nearly yelped.

"Is there another option for recovering the murderer?" Shetani looked intensely at Vitani. The lioness almost shook as she thought about what he said.

"Vitani, you're not actually considering this are you?" Shabaha nervously asked.

Vitani was silent for another moment but then approached Shetani and stopped within an inch.

"If we do this, we do it my way. Which means you'll do as I say. Got it!?"

The tiger smiled.

"Of course."


	6. Chapter 6: Betrayal

It was an hour past midday in the Tree of Life and the aura was calm throughout the Kingdom.

By the edge of lake Pratimbimba, the King's Guard, Tundra Guard, and Jungle Guard rested.

Kion and Advik stood beside Anahita as she groaned a little.

"Stupid jackal, I almost had to rip his head off before he let go." The Panther moaned while her left paw was examined.

"It doesn't look too bad. But you should probably go see Makini just to be sure." Kion said.

Anahita nodded before she limped off.

Beshte rested in the lake with Bellezza beside him.

"Here I was hoping we'd seen the last of those feral poachers."

"I don't know if feral's the right word." Bellezza said.

"They seem pretty feral during the fight." Fuli said as she laid down beside Azaad.

"I've met feral animals before. They usually wild and unpredictable, most can't talk like the ones you've faced. But I've never heard of feral animals ongoing pain or survival instincts."

Bunga laid against a tree with Jelani and Nidar.

"I don't know, we've seen them, you haven't." Bellezza narrowed her eyes.

"Have you ever seen a feral animal?"

"Yeah, the ones we've been facing."

Jelani and Nidar both chuckled a little as the female hippo shook her head in annoyance.

"I can't say I've ever seen one. I assumed they were feral but if you think they aren't, what are they?" Beshte asked.

Bellezza sighed.

"I don't know. I'd really like to see one of them and figure that out."

"Trust me, you don't want to see one of them." Ajitbanh nearly squawked. The falcon shook a little from his earlier fight and had to be comforted by Anga who rested on the same branch.

Bellezza gave a disappointed expression to the various guardians.

"Aren't any of you interested in what's going on with them?"

Rune rested with his own Guard while three cubs played in front of the Prince.

"I don't care what they are, I only want to keep them out of our Kingdom and away from our children." The white lion gazed in a very protective manner at two white male cubs and a yellowish female.

Bellezza sighed until Beshte gave her a reassuring nudge.

"Next time we face them, I can try and catch one."

"Really!?"

"Be careful, you may bite off more than you can chew with these animals." Azaad growled while Fuli stared at her friend with the same expression.

Kion shook his head.

"Bellezza may have a point. The better we understand them the better we'll be able to defeat them. Even with our more efficient system, they're still our biggest threat." Kion then turned to Jade and Beskerm who both rested near the Jungle Guard.

"Kopa said they serve Radcliffe, you guys said you'd been to his Kingdom before. Were you able to learn anything else about them?"

Both shook their heads.

"If we had, we'd have told you by now." Jade almost laughed.

Kion gave a somewhat embarrassed look.

"Right."

"We didn't try and linger, that place was worse than anywhere else we've ever been. We got in, tried to kill Radcliffe and then got out. I could go my entire life without returning there." Beskerm growled.

"I agree with Bellezza and Kion." Ono said from another tree branch.

"Whoever or whatever these animals are, it doesn't seem natural. It's more than a little frightening."

"Hmp, you guys can try. I'm not losing a chunk of my body trying to hold one down." Jelani said as he held his hands behind his back.

"Guess who's back!" Mikey's piercing screech made most of the guardians cringe.

Mungo approached with his Island Guard as well as Idan, Gael, and Dakarai.

"Afternoon everyone." Mungo said.

"How'd it go near the northern border?" Ono asked.

"Fabulous! Incredible! Unbelievable!"

Taakat covered his ears and groaned.

"I thought bats slept in the day."

"Not this one!" The two Night Lions laid down beside the lake with the island Lions, jaguars and hyenas.

"It went well enough. We chased them off but I have a feeling they'll be back before long." Mungo said with a slightly disappointed tone.

"That's how it always goes, Mungo. Don't feel bad about it." Advik laughed slightly.

"I'm just glad they were regular poachers." Dakarai panted as he took a long drink from the lake before heading off.

Kion looked back over at Rune and his cubs.

With a heavy expression, Kion slowly approached the three as they tried to climb onto their father.

"Daddy, it's the King." The lioness cub purred.

Rune gave a warm smile and nodded.

"Yes, what should you do when the King comes over."

All three did their best bows and earned warm chuckle from Kion.

"That's very nice of you."

"Daddy says you protect the kingdom." One of the male cubs said.

"I don't do it alone, everyone here does. Including your dad."

"Daddy I want to be a King too!" The other male said as he tried to scratch Rune's face.

"You can't be, you're a prince though."

"Am I a princess?" The lioness cub asked.

All three were now back at Rune who gave a slightly weary look.

"I don't give Mary enough credit. She handles them more than I do."

Kion's expression turned more serious as he watched the cubs.

"….It's not easy being a father, is it." Rune carefully turned to Kion.

"Why?"

Kion tried not to look evasive.

"Nothing." Rune didn't look convinced.

"How do you manage three cubs and a principality?"

Rune smiled slightly.

"It can be difficult, I can't take too much credit. Mary's put in just as much if not more than myself. But throughout all the stress and angst that comes with it." Rune lowered his head and nuzzled each cub with a loving expression.

"Your life becomes more meaningful than you could possibly imagine."

Kion's angst didn't go away.

"What does it take, to be a good ruler and a good father?" Rune chuckled.

"Sometimes being a food ruler is a good starting place. Or maybe it was the other way around. Anyway, it's not something you have to overthink really. When the time comes, your instincts will kick in and everything will come naturally."

Kion gave a hopeful breath.

Bunga wasn't trying to eavesdrop but had managed to hear most of Kion's conversation and felt his interest peak.

Several minutes passed before Ullu rushed in with an urgent expression.

"Everyone, we have trouble at the borders!" All of their eyes shot to Ullu as she landed beside Ono.

"Alright, which part?" Kion asked.

"We have four parties coming in from the west, northeast, south, and southeast."

Kion nodded.

"Well, it's a good thing we have four Guards." Advik said as he stretched himself and got up.

"The King's Guard will take the west. Rune, you think your Guard can handle the Southeast."

"No problem." The white lion growled confidently before he turned to his cubs.

"I can watch them." Bellezza said as she emerged from the lake. Rune nodded.

"Thank you. Be good for her."

"Alright, Mungo head north. Advik go south."

"We're on it, come on!"

All four parties rushed off to face the threats with a few volunteer Guardians joining each group.

Elsewhere, Rani nearly snarled as she crashed her right paw across a sun bear's face. Rani then slammed her into the ground using her own fangs while several red pandas, tapir, and pangolin watched in relief.

"Are you calm now?" Rani growled with a fierce expression. The sun bear slowly nodded.

Binga, Mary, and Cael all held down a few water buffalo with similar tenacity. Vegter, Obasi, and Talib all had a sun bear or water buffalo submitted.

"If there's a problem between your herd and your party. Come to us, there is no infighting within our Kingdom, this is a place of healing."

The lead sun bear and water buffalo gave half-frightened and half-shameful looks.

"Yes, your majesty."

Kopa slowly came up beside Rani with a smile.

"Well handled."

Rani watched as the two animal groups went their separate ways and the other animals resumed their routine.

"I never realized there could be so many internal squabbles to handle." Cael chuckled.

"A Kingdom is much larger than a Duchy." Mary reminded the white tiger.

"I think we ought to find another trail for the water buffalo to use. What do you think?"

Kopa looked back at the paths leading towards the wetlands.

"Possibly, though we should consider who else they might end up disturbing."

Rani nodded.

"Perhaps we should forge a new path. Find land that's unused." George said. The tortoise rode on a hippo's back to keep up with the others.

"Vegter suggests moving animals who can naturally clear trail in to open up space elsewhere as well." Mary and Cael looked at the Tsavo lion with shocked expressions.

Binga and Rani laughed with Kopa's companions.

"Don't let the speech fool you, he's actually very bright." Rani whispered to Mary.

"Alright Cadoc, what's next?"

"Let's see, ahh yes, there was the gorilla matter. They claim their tree's aren't growing as much fruit."

"Again!?" Mary nearly yelped with a familiar concern.

"Don't worry, we'll figure it out. Come on, let's get over to the Jungle." Rani said.

"My Queen, if you don't mind I think I might rest for the remainder of the day. I think my injuries are close to being healed." Kopa said respectfully.

Rani nodded.

"Do what you need to Kopa." Obasi and Talib joined their Queen but Vegter also remained behind.

"Vegter need to do some hunting. Kopa like any?"

Kopa nodded.

"Yes, if you wouldn't mind."

Vegter smiled.

"Vegter always help his friend."

Rani looked back at Kopa for a moment and then shook herself.

"You alright?" Binga asked.

"Yeah, I guess I'm just a little tired like Kopa."

"Well, it is pretty hot out today. Or were you up late last night with Kion?" Binga said as she put her elbow against Rani's leg.

"Binga! Geez, you're worse than Afia." The honey badger giggled.

"I'm just messing with you." Rani sighed and shook her head.

Meanwhile, Kion and his Guard reached the western border.

"I see them!" Anga shouted as they reached the rocky pass. The eagle's eyes widened and her feather ruffled.

"Oh boy, you're not gonna like this."

Kion and the others reached the bluff overlooking the pass entrance and soon realized what Anga meant.

Approaching them was a large party of desert leopards. At their front was none other than Makucha.

"What?! Him again!?" Bunga bellowed out.

Azaad looked slightly confused as he saw the others' expressions.

"Do you know them?"

"You could say that." Fuli growled.

"Just a little bit further." The lead leopard announced until he saw the King's Guard overlooking them.

"Well well well, if it isn't Kion. Or is it King Kion now?" Makucha growled.

Kion's expression turned ferocious.

"You never learn do you."

Makucha's confident grin remained.

"I know what I want. You won't stop me this time. Attack!"

The leopards rushed towards the bluff and were met by the King's Guard. A fierce melee broke out with every one of the King's Guard occupied in the fight.

Even the bird scouts above were distracted by the various fights and didn't see another group enter the Kingdom.

Shetani gave an excited gaze as he rushed through the rocky pathway and gazed out at the vast Kingdom before him.

"The Tree of Life." The tiger's fangs bore themselves as he took it all in.

Vitani forced herself up beside him with a stern expression.

"Remember, we're here for Kopa. We get him then get out." Vitani's lionesses backed her up with similar expressions. Despite this, Shetani showed no visible fear.

"Of course. Lead on."

Vitani nodded.

"Let's try to avoid being seen and if we are, act natural. If the rumors are true about the nearby kingdoms joining, the locals might not be too suspicious of new lionesses." The six very carefully moved through the river area of the Kingdom and towards the savanna.

Despite their best efforts, a few animals spotted them but didn't think much of them.

Anahita walked through the savanna and toward a kudu.

"Excuse me, have you seen any of the Guards?"

"Hmmm, the King's Guard passed through here a few minutes ago. They were heading for the western border."

"What about the Tundra Guard?"

The kudu shook his head.

"I don't know but I did see Kopa pass by earlier. He should still be close if you want to ask him." Anahita nodded.

"Alright, thanks."

The panther continued through the brush until she saw Kopa fast asleep beneath a tree's shade.

"Ohhh great." Anahita sighed. She was about to walk away when the panther noticed someone else.

"Huh?"

Vitani's eyes widened as she saw Kopa sleeping beneath a tree.

"It's him!" Kasi nearly shouted before Vitani covered her mouth.

"Will you be quiet! We have him right where we want him. Shetani, you and I will come in from the front. Everyone else come around to cut off his avenues of escape. I-"

"Hey." All five lionesses nearly jumped out of their fur when they heard another voice.

"Yaahh!" Vitani quickly covered her own mouth before she saw a panther with a white mark on her fur.

"Sorry to frighten you. I'm Anahita from the Tundra Guard."

Vitani and her Guard went still and tried to hide their angst.

"Uhhh right, we knew that. Cause we're from here." Kasi said as the other four mentally facepalmed.

Anahita raised her eyebrow and nodded.

"Ok, have any of you happened to see the other Tundra Guard members?"

"Nope, sorry. Can't help you." Imara insisted.

Anahita could feel their angst. In the tiger, however, she saw something else. Carefully Anahita got into a more defensive stance.

"What did you say your names were again?"

Vitani looked back and forth.

"I'm uh, Zuri, these are my friends, Tiifu, uhhh Nala and-"

"Nala? As in King Kion's mother?"

Vitani nearly shook again.

"No, that's just a coincidence."

Anahita narrowed her eyes.

"What are those markings on your shoulders?" Vitani and her lionesses nervously looked down at the Lion Guard markings.

"Uhhh."

"Those look like Guard markings."

"How would you know?" Imara asked before Anahita emphasized her own.

"I wasn't aware of a fifth Guard here and volunteers aren't marked."

"…Listen it's just a coincidence or my names not uhhh, Tiifu." Vitani said nervously.

Anahita now growled.

"You said your name was Zuri."

Kopa yawned for a moment as his eyes opened slightly. However, in less than a moment they shot open at Shetani and Vitani.

"You!" Vitani nearly jumped again as she saw Kopa wake up.

"They're here to kill me!" Kopa roared as Anahita's eyes widened in horror.

Before Vitani could make her move, Anahita forced herself in front of the lioness.

"Go! Find some help, I'll hold them off!" Kopa quickly ran as fast as his injuries would allow.

"Get out of my way!" Vitani snarled she exchanged a few bites and claw strikes with Anahita before being knocked aside.

Anahita shook her head only to see the five lionesses chase after Kopa.

"No!" Anahita noticed a hornbill born stop on a tree branch nearby and roared up at him.

"You! Find the King, or the Queen, or any Guard! Tell them we have intruders inside the Kingdom!"

"Intruders! Oh no! I should warn the King or Queen, or any Guard!" Anahita's eyes narrowed with slight annoyance.

"Yes, exactly what I said."

Anahita chased after Vitani. None of them having noticed Shetani stayed behind.

The tiger began to laugh slowly. His eyes turned savage and his fangs were licked.

A nearby pair of aardvark slowly are from a termite hill.

"These ants aren't nearly as good as those in the hunting grounds." One said.

"Hmm, you want to eat there, you have to live by the circle of life. I'll take average ants here without being hunted." Without warning, Shetani's jaws snapped around the aardvark's head and violently shook him.

Before the second aardvark could even scream his face was broken by the tiger's stone-like paws.

Shetani dropped the first aardvark down and stared at his body with an excited look.

"Hey! What are you doing!?" Shetani's head shot back to a spotted hyena.

"This isn't the hunting grounds, you can't do that!"

Shetani began to laugh in a crazed manner. The hyena whimpered as he backed up and then ran for his life. But to no avail, Shetani caught the hyena and mercilessly brought him to the ground.

When the hyena was still Shetani got up and continued laughing. The tiger rushed through the savanna looking for more animals.

Dakarai shook himself dry as he came out of a watering hole with a few other wild dogs and wildebeest.

"Sure is hot today, huh." A wildebeest huffed.

Dakarai nodded.

"Hot days are a good time to rest up. I might do just-" Dakarai went silent as he felt a twitch in his senses.

The wild dog frantically looked around until he saw a set of eyes in the brush and gave a terrified expression.

"Shetani!"

Not far away, Vegter ate from the body of a kudu by the hunting ground's edge.

The Tsavo lion had eaten his fill and saw around half of the body's meat was left.

"Kopa's share." Vegter began to drag his kill through the savanna when he felt something against his back paws.

"Huh?" Vegter looked back in horror to see two dead aardvarks.

"What? This not hunting ground?" Vegter growled in anger as he looked around for signs of any bad predators. Vegter then picked up another scent, a hyena's.

"Grrrr, bad hyena!" Vegter sprinted towards the scent but his eyes widened as he saw the hyena was dead.

"Dead hyena? But who? What?" Vegter examined the body and saw large bite marks as well as claw marks. However, just like the aardvark, whoever did this left the bodies alone.

Vegter then smelt something else. He ran towards the scent and stopped when he saw it. Vegter felt his heart sink and his stomach turn to rock as he approached the body of a wild dog near a watering hole's edge.

"No, no!" Vegter's eyes filled with tears as he nudged his head against Dakarai's lifeless body.

"No, Dakarai. Don't leave Vegter and friends!" Vegter sobbed. The wild dog's eyes were closed and his face was at peace.

Vegter's sorrow soon ignited into an uncontrollable blaze.

The Tsavo lion roared and furiously looked around until he saw a few wild dogs and wildebeest hiding in the brush.

Each had pure terror in their faces as they tried to stay out of sight.

That was until Vegter scared them out of the brush.

"Who do this! Who kill Dakarai!?" Vegter snarled.

The wildebeest were too frightened to talk but one wild dog came forward.

"A, a tiger. A big white one with a scar over his left eye." Vegter's face turned more ferocious.

"Shetani! Vegter kill Shetani!"

Elsewhere in the savanna, Nirmala and Surak were fast asleep in the long grass. Vadik and Vala both slept between their parents until a lizard moved through the grass nearby.

Vala yawned when she heard rustling and quickly saw the lizard.

"Vadik." She said while nudging him awake.

The second cub opened his eyes to see the lizard as well.

"I'll bet I can catch it first!"

"You're on!" The two cubs chased the lizard out of the long grass. Both laughing in excitement as they tried to catch it before the other. However, just when they were about to catch him, the cubs heard a terrified call for help.

"Huh?" Both looked around until they saw an antelope slammed into the grass by a white tiger.

The antelope thrashed for a moment but then went still.

"What's that tiger doing?"

"Is he playing with the antelope?"

Shetani stepped off the body while still laughing maniacally. That was until he saw the two cubs.

"Hey mister, what are you doing?" The tiger's eyes lit up with renewed excitement as he licked his fangs.

The two cubs were confused as they saw his head lower and his back arch.

"Mister?"

Shetani roared and made a dead sprint for Vadik and Vala.

The cubs yelped in fright and ran back towards the long grass with everything they had. But Shetani was faster, he closed the distance between himself and the Night cubs. Closer and closer Shetani got until Vala tripped over herself and tumbled forward.

Vadik saw this and quickly went back to help his sister.

"Come on Vala!" Vadik looked up again and felt Shetani's breath as the tiger opened his jaws.

"Grauuu!" Vadik and Vala had closed their eyes but felt nothing.

When they opened them again, Vegter had appeared before them.

The mad Tsavo lion had crashed his paw across Shetani's face like a wrecking ball and nearly sent the white tiger into a tumble.

Shetani shook his head and got up to see Vegter over the cubs. An uncontrollable rage-filled Vegter's eyes as he growled at Shetani.

"You murder Vegter's friend! You murder animals Vegter protects! Now you try to murder cubs! Vegter will kill Shetani!"

Shetani laughed as he began to circle his enemy.

"I remember you, the slow Tsavo Lion."

Vegter's growl increased in intensity.

"Vegter may talk slow. But he see more than Shetani." Shetani laughed louder.

"I can fix that!" The tiger bellowed out a loud roar and charged into Vegter. The two became locked in a fierce melee that sent terror into both cubs.

"Run! Vegter will hold him off!" Vala and Vadik tried to flee but Shetani managed to beat Vegter back and now made a dead sprint for the cubs.

Shetani lunged forward and was about to snatch them when Vegter reappeared and pounced into his side.

Vadik and Vala were not too frightened to run and instead stayed just behind Vegter as he fought off Shetani.

Elsewhere, Rani and her council had returned from the Jungle.

Rani held her head for a moment with a tired look.

"I have a headache."

George chuckled.

"The science of fruit cultivation isn't simple to go over."

"At least the gorillas have their solution." Mary said more optimistically.

"My Queen!" Cadoc squawked as he returned from ahead.

Rani and the others saw the look of horror across his face.

"What's wrong?"

"It's that Vitani and her Lion Guard! They've been spotted inside the Kingdom and are after Kopa!" Rani's eyes widened before a growl escaped her jaws.

"Find the Guards!" Cael growled.

"All four are at the borders fighting off poachers! Many of the volunteer guardians are with them!"

"Wake the Night Pride. I'm going after them." Rani snarled.

"As am I!" Talib huffed.

Obasi nodded fiercely.

"Count me in." Cael said with a smile.

"And me." Mary growled.

"Me too!" Binga shouted.

"I'm not a fighter, I better make sure there isn't any damage." George said.

"Right, come on we have to hurry!"

Kopa sprinted as fast as he could through the savannah. He had desperately hoped to run into some of the Kingdom's Night lions but thus far he only found hyenas and wild dogs who were easily frightened off by Vitani's Guard.

The lead Lioness gave a driven look as she tried to reach Kopa.

She was so close but couldn't quite reach him.

While Kopa had nearly recovered, the last of his injuries only hastened his bodies fatigue. But he couldn't slow down without being caught.

"Last chance!" Vitani snarled.

Kopa didn't slow his pace.

Vitani had enough and arched her head back. Fear and anguish filled Kopa's eyes as he recognized the thunderous sound.

Vitani opened her mouth and unleashed the roar of the elders into Kopa. The lion was hurled across the ground and crashed into a brush. His body throbbed in pain while his head spun.

"She's almost as bad as-" Kopa stopped when he looked up at Vitani. The other lionesses joined her as they surrounded Kopa.

With a defiant growl, Kopa stared Vitani down.

"I'll never submit to Simba's judgment! Never! I serve a true King and Queen now!"

Vitani prepared another roar that would send him out of the Kingdom but was cut off. Rani slammed her self into Vitani's side and hurled the other lioness away.

Before the others could react, Cael sucker-punched Kasi with his left paw, Mary and Anahita slammed into Shabaha, Obasi rammed into Imara and Talib did the same to Tazama.

Vitani and her lionesses slowly got up to face their opponents.

"Rani!" Vitani yelped with a bit of fear in her eyes.

The Queen snarled intensely at Vitani and nearly breathed fire at her.

"I thought the Lion Guard acted with honor. At least they did under Kion."

Vitani snapped her jaws back.

"You're harboring a murderer! I won't fail my King. Your King's father! A greater King than has ever ruled here! I will bring Kopa back, even if I have to use the roar on you!"

"Not if you can't breathe!"

"Huh?" Vitani heard a voice she was unfamiliar with.

She looked down to see Binga in front of her with a devilish smile.

"Another honey badger?"

"That's right!" Vitani's eyes widened and her senses were overtaken by a thick cloud of foul stench.

Vitani and her lionesses coughed from the horrible smell. The lead lioness was unable to use the roar while coughing. By the time the stink had cleared, Rani emerged before Vitani and slammed her into the ground. The Queen's companions quickly joined her in the fierce melee.

Kopa would have let out a breath of relief but seeing his Queen in such a fierce battle kept him on edge.

"Are you ok?" Binga asked as she tried to help Kopa up.

Kopa growled.

"I want to help my Queen."

"Soon, you haven't recovered yet. Come on, let's get you to safety." Binga quickly guided Kopa away while the fight continued.

Elsewhere, Kion hurled Makucha across the western entrance.

The rest of his Guard similarly threw back the other poachers.

"Enough of this!" Kion arched his head back to use the roar.

Makucha saw this and quickly got up.

"Run of be carried away!" The leopard quickly retreated and the rest did the same.

Kion slowly exhaled.

"He hasn't changed much." Fuli groaned.

"So he's the idiot who kept trying to get in here?" Azaad asked.

Fuli smiled a little while nodding.

"Him and three others."

"I was kind of wondering whatever happened to him." Bunga said.

"I thought you'd be more concerned about mama Binterong." Beshte chuckled.

"Her too."

"Kion! Guys!" Ullu frantically flew in almost like they had never seen her before.

"Guys! Guys!"

"Woah, calm down Ullu. What's wrong, are there more poachers?" Ono flew beside her and tried to calm the owl down.

"It's Vitani and her Guard. They're inside the Kingdom and are trying to take Kopa!"

Kion's eyes widened and his breath was stolen.

Beskerm and Jade growled.

"Vitani, she-" Kion nearly shook, as did the others.

"It's not only that, I've heard reports of dead animals in the savanna."

"Dead animals!" Ono squawked.

Kion didn't speak another word, he simply charged into the Kingdom with the others close behind.

Nirmala and Surak were still fast asleep in the savanna when they heard a loud squawk.

"Night Pride! Night Pride!" Cadoc bellowed out.

The two were open up with Baliyo and Afia.

"Huh, what, it's still light out." Baliyo yawned.

"Please hurry, Queen Rani needs you right now! We have intruders!"

"Intruders!" Baliyo jumped up with a near frantic expression.

"Come on, we need to go!" Baliyo roared.

Afia yawned and got up with him.

"Alright, I'm up."

Nirmala and Surak slowly got up as well.

"Alright Vadik, Vala. Stay here and Kanda will-" Nirmala started until she saw both cubs were gone.

"Vadik! Vala!" The lioness frantically searched through the nearby long grass but saw nothing.

Surak quickly joined her with an equally horrified expression.

"What's going on?" Surak asked.

"Vadik and Vala are gone!" Nirmala screamed.

Baliyo's eyes widened.

"Oh my, don't worry I'll look for them from the air."

Cadoc took off again as the lioness desperately searched for their cubs. Despite hearing about Rani's need, Baliyo and Afia helped look for the cubs.

Several minutes passed and Nirmala became more fearful by the moment as she searched for her cubs.

"Vadik! Vala!" Surak roared.

"Have you seen! Our cubs!" Nirmala shook down another Night lion they passed.

"I'm sorry I-" The lioness started before Nirmala threw her aside and kept looking.

Cadoc swept over the savanna as he tried to find the cubs. Finally, the eagle saw something near a river leading out of their Kingdom.

As Cadoc looked closer he saw none other than Vegter locked in combat with a white tiger.

Cadoc squawked as he saw the cubs hiding behind Vegter.

"I found them! Over here!"

Nirmala and Surak didn't waste a moment. They raced towards the river and saw Vegter.

The Tsavo lion had taken a beating but didn't let up. Despite having Shetani's flags buried in his back, Vegter snarled and let loose his claws into Shetani's sides. The white tiger kept his fangs deep in Vegter but the Tsavo lion was now able to bide closer to Shetani's neck.

Vadik and Vala watched in awe as Vegter began to lift Shetani up with his fangs. The Tsavo managed to free himself from Shetani's bite and hurl the tiger into the river below.

The current of the river carried Shetani out of sight and Vegter began to pant.

Vegter lowered his head enough for both cubs to lick his face.

"Thank you, mister." Vala purred.

Vegter let out a tear from his right eye.

"Vegter happy he could help cubs…..Vegter couldn't help Dakarai." Both cubs nuzzled their heads against Vegter's as he teared up.

"Vadik! Vala!" Nirmala had finally reached them and quickly snatched her children up.

"Ahhh, ahhhah. Naughty, naughty cubs!" Nirmala nearly teared up as she licked her children vehemently.

Surak let out lead with his exhale when he reached them.

"Vegter, I, we, we can't thank you enough."

Vegter still looked depressed.

"Vegter glad your cubs safe."

Baliyo and Afia quickly saw Nirmala ensnaring her cubs. The two let out a sigh of relief.

"Alright, they're safe. We should find Rani." Vegter's face lifted up with feral rage.

"Vegter punish intruders!"

Vitani and Rani were both locked in a stalemate. Neither lioness could gain an edge over the other. Though Rani's earlier fatigue was catching up with her.

Vitani longed to use the roar but couldn't find an opening. That was until Rani landed a paw strike against her head and made Vitani stumble backward.

The other lionesses held their ground until reinforcements arrived. Afia and Baliyo rushed in quickly with Vegter.

The three caught, Kasi, Shabaha, and Imara off guard. Thus all three were easily knocked away while Tazama got overwhelmed with numbers.

Vitani growled in frustration but realized she now had an opening.

"I gave you a chance to hand over Kopa willingly. Now we do this the hard way!" Vitani arched her head back and then thrust it forward. Rani and the others felt their hearts race as the sky let out a thunderous roar.

However, before it could reach them. A far greater thunder struck first and scattered the clouds above Vitani.

Rani quickly looked back to see Kion and his Guard arrive.

"Kion!"

"Kion!" Vitani trembled.

The young King was livid and came up directly in front of Vitani. Bunga and the others looked no less enraged. Kopa and Binga came close enough to see what was happening.

"Vitani, you have some explaining to do."

"Intruders bring Shetani here!" Vegter roared.

"Shetani!" Jade snarled.

"Who's Shetani?" Rani asked cautiously.

Talib and Obasi huffed angrily.

"He's one of Radcliffe's lieutenants. He's cold-blooded murder who kills for sport!" Beskerm snarled.

Vitani felt her heart race as she only just realized Shetani was no longer with them.

"Vitani." Kasi stuttered.

"Shetani kill innocent animals! Shetani murder Dakarai!" Kion nearly felt his heart stop.

Kopa and all of his companions went white in the face, then still.

"…..Dakarai." Kopa muttered.

Never had Rani, or Kion's friends seen the rage embroiled on his face that they saw now. His eyes nearly melted off into molten rock. So much so it almost looked like his scar turned fiery red.

The ground shook and the clouds let out a fierce gust.

"You come into my Kingdom against our decision. You try to kidnap our advisor and friend. Now you bring a murder here who killed my subjects and my friend!"

Vitani's lionesses embraced her with pure panic on their faces.

"Kion, please." Vitani begged.

"Get out!" Kion unleashed a roar that carried all five lionesses dozens of miles from the border. Far beyond what even Anga could see.

Kion tried to breathe but he had become so overwhelmed it was nearly impossible.

Rani panted heavier as well and nudged her head against Kion's.

All were quite as a pair of elephants approached. The two respectfully set down the bodies of Shetani's victims. Dakarai was set down last.

Kopa, Talib, Obasi, Jade, Beskerm, and Vegter all circled over his body with tears flowing down their eyes like a river.

Binga had to hold her eyes to try and fight back the tears but to no avail.

Bunga tried to hold her up despite his own tears and pain.

No one in the King's Guard could escape the sorrow. Not even Azaad or Fuli.

That evening, the victims were laid out before the Tree of Life where countless animals placed flowers over their bodies.

Kion stood with Rani, his Guard, and Kopa's party. Each placed a flower over Dakarai's body with pain still racking their insides.

"…..He was from the western pride lands. Dakarai helped me escape capture when I assassinated the first tyrant. He was loyal and brave despite being smaller than most of his enemies…..But more than that, he was my friend. I was privileged to have you by my side. Dakarai." Kopa closed his eyes to keep the tears from overtaking him again.

Kion and Rani both felt more than sorrow. They felt determination. Radcliffe was but a shadowy figure to them. Now he had gone too far. They needed to know more about this Tyrant King. They needed to see who he was.

"So, what happens now?" Bunga asked in a serious tone.

This almost caught the others off-guard.

Kion took a deep breath.

"Ono, Anga. We need to know exactly what's going on with Radcliffe. I want you both to fly north and see what's he's up too."

Both nodded with fierce expressions.

"We can do that."

"Ullu, go with them. All of you stay close together." Rani growled.

"We'll find out what's going on." Ullu hooted.

"Be careful. Don't stay there long, don't even land." Kopa growled.

"Rest up tonight and leave in the morning."

The three went off to get some rest while Kion turned to Rani.

"Are you alright?"

Rani shook her head.

"I feel sick. Like my head is about to split open." Kion gave Rani a comforting nuzzle.

"I know what you mean. I need to clear my head for a bit."

Rani nodded.

"I'm going to sleep for the night."

"Ok, I'll try not to wake you later." Kion left with the others and Rani slowly walked inside.

Nirmala and Surak were nearby with their cubs close between them.

Both stared closely at their children with hard expressions.

"It's not an easy decision." Nirmala shook her head.

"No, we should talk it over some more. First I need to talk with Makini for a minute."

Surak nodded.

Rani laid down inside the Tree and noticed Normal approach Makini.

The mandril had painted murals of those who died on the rock wall.

Despite the fatigue, Rani found it difficult falling asleep. Her headache had returned worse than before. So much so, that Rani had to hold her head. The stress of what happened was almost too much to bear.

Or, could be something else? Another possibility floated into Rani's head and she quickly brought her upper body up.

"Nirmala, Makini." The two healers looked back at their Queen.

"I need you both to check something for me."

The stars had already risen over Pride Rock and most of its lionesses had cleared out from the main cave to avoid the verbal carnage.

"You did what!?" Simba roared so loud it nearly shook the rock itself.

Simba stood on a rock overlooking Vitani and her Guard. All five were on their stomachs with the same frightened expression a child would give when they were scolded.

Nala, Kovu, and Kiara stood at the rock's base with similar expressions as Simba.

"We were just trying to get Kopa away from Kion and Rani. If I ever thought Shetani was untrustworthy I-" Vitani pleaded until she was cut off by Kiara's snarl.

"Do you realize what you've done, Vitani. Do you understand!" Kiara lost her breath and shook.

"Easy, Kiara." Kovu started as he tried to nudge his mate. Kiara snapped at him angrily.

"I won't take it easy! Your sister and her Guard made the biggest mistake I've ever heard a Guard make! Kion probably hates us all now because of you, Vitani! I think I'm-" Kiara looked as if she was ready to pass out.

"Kiara! Calm down." Nala forcefully put her paw on Kiara's shoulder to ease her daughter.

Kiara slowed her breathed and closed her eyes.

"Let's go. You should lay down." Nala guided Kiara away while Kovu and Simba watched with sincere concern.

Kovu quickly returned to his sister with a furious expression.

"What were you thinking!? The rest of you too, none of you tried to talk Vitani out of it! Kiara doesn't need this kind of stress in her condition!"

"Kovu!" Vitani tried to reach him but he walked away after Kiara.

Simba came down from the rock and began towards the ledge overlooking his Kingdom.

"Your majesty." Vitani started.

"Get out of my sight!" All five lionesses scurried off like mice. Nearby, Zazu, Timon, and Pumbaa carefully watched Simba walk away.

"Oh my, I haven't seen him this angry for quite some time. It's almost as if Mufasa has returned."

"Maybe we should talk to him." Pumbaa suggested.

"No, I think he just needs a moment. If he's still angry in the morning maybe."

Simba reached the peak's edge and stared out at the Pride Lands with a heavy expression.

Simba thought back to one day when Kion was still a cub. It was at a time when Simba had been spending a lot of time with Kiara as he trained her to become Queen. This was before Kion formed his Guard and was beginning to feel neglected by his father.

That was until one night, Simba took Kion out under the stars. Simba's expression grew warmer as he thought back to that night. The king and his son playfully wrestling under the stars until Kion rested on Simba's head.

Both looked up at the stars together with a gentle breeze blowing around them.

"Dad, what are those lights in the sky?"

Simba smiled.

"They're our ancestors, Kion."

"They are?"

Simba nodded.

"Your grandfather, his father, and his father before him are watching down on us. Even when you're in your darkest place. Always remember that they're with you."

"So grandpa is still with you?" Simba almost teared up for a moment.

"He's always with us Kion. Just like I'll always be with you!" Simba brought his son back down and began licking his stomach. Kion laughed uncontrollably as he tried to get up.

Simba sighed as he looked up at the stars again.

A firm hand touched Simba's shoulder.

"You shouldn't be alone, Simba. Only your family will help ease this pain." Rafiki said in a comforting tone.

Simba kept his head lowered.

"After what happened, I'll be lucky if Kion even speaks to me again."

"Simba, this wasn't your fault. Vitani made a mistake but she was sincerely trying to serve you and help Kion."

"My son thinks I betrayed him and a murder is at his side giving him council."

"You sent Vitani to recover a criminal. But you didn't expect Kion to take him in. Vitani should not have confronted him." Simba slowly raised his head with a determined expression.

"You're right."

Simba returned to the rock's caves and saw Nala standing over Kiara.

"How is she?" Nala glanced back at Simba with an eased expression.

"She calmed down enough to fall asleep." Simba saw Kiara resting beside Kovu.

"Sending Vitani was a mistake."

Nala nudged her head against Simba's.

"How could we have known Kion would find Kopa? Let alone protect him."

Simba's determined expression returned.

"I won't make that mistake again. We're going to save our son and our other daughter from Kopa." Nala's expression soon mirrored Simba's and she nodded.


	7. Chapter 7: The Northern Kingdom

Kion slowly approached the Tree of life as the stars shined down from above.

Bunga, Talib, and Beshte walked beside him.

"The day started out so good too." Beshte sighed.

"Come on guys, we can mourn Dakarai and the others but they wouldn't want us to lament their passing forever. We can't forget our duties!" Bunga tried to speak more optimistically.

Talib huffed with resentment in his eyes.

"I almost look forward to them returning. I'll put my horns through Shetani's heart."

"That's enough. We're all still reeling from what happened today. Nothing good will come from acting out on emotions. I think we should all get some rest and wait for Ono's report."

Talib reluctantly nodded.

"Sleep sounds good." Beshte yawned.

"Right, don't want to get back too late and wake up Binga. See you guys in the morning." Kion entered the Tree with a weary expression.

Beshte wasn't wrong. Everything had been going so well in the last few days. The Kingdom was safer, he and Rani had more help and more time to be with each other.

Now the future was uncertain. Kion didn't want any more uncertainty in his-

The young King's head raised slightly when he heard Nirmala and Makini's voices.

Both were carefully examining Rani on the flat rock.

"Are you absolutely certain!?" Rani bellowed with feverish excitement.

Nirmala and Makini both smiled with the sun's warmth as they nodded together.

"Rani? What's going on?" Kion asked with a mixture of confusion and concern.

The lioness turned back to Kion with tears once again in her eyes. However, Kion was shocked to see only passionate joy on his mate's face as she sprinted over and pounced him onto his back.

Rani didn't speak, she simply nuzzled Kion's face while trying to breathe.

Kion looked deeply into her eyes and felt his own breath cease. He gave one look at the two healers who nodded in the same way they had to Rani.

Kion's heart raced as it never had before. But instead of looking horrified, his look began to mirror Rani's.

Neither lions spoke, they simply closed their eyes and resumed their nuzzle.

The following day, Anga, Ono, and Ullu soared just below the clouds.

Ullu anxiously looked at her companions every few moments.

"So, what do you think this place is going to look like?"

Anga's expression became similarly anxious.

"Kopa talked with Ono and I this morning. According to him, the land is more barren than a desert. Nothing grows, darkness creeps over the sky even during the day, death stalks the land and those living are dead already."

Ullu's face nearly turned sick.

"…..Is it too late to go back."

"If you don't feel comfortable doing this Ullu, I'm sure Kion would understand. Anga and I can handle this."

Ullu shook her head.

"No, I won't abandon you guys."

Ono glanced back at Ullu with different angst on his face.

"You know, a few of us yesterday were wondering what happened to make Radcliffe's followers act the way they do. Maybe we'll figure that out today."

"Maybe, they are rather frightening."

Ono chuckled.

"I think there could be more to them than meets the eye."

Anga's looked closely at the ground and noticed the number of herds and hospitable land were declining the further north they went.

The poaching parties could be seen avoiding the territory north of their location and Anga felt a growing dread inside her.

"Keep your eyes peeled guys. I have a bad feeling about this."

Ono and Ullu soon understood what Anga meant. The clouds ahead seemed far different than the others. They were far more spread out like stratus clouds but were almost black in their appearance.

The clouds rested over a large area roughly as big as the Pride Lands. Rocky passageways lined each entrance while the low clouds covered what the Kingdom itself looked like.

All three were silent as they glided over the Kingdom below.

"…..I guess this is it." Ono muttered nervously.

Ullu breathed heavily as she tried to keep herself away.

Several minutes of pure dread passed and none of them came any closer.

"Alright, we just have to get it over with. We go in, see what Radcliffe's up to, then get out. Stay close and try not to draw any attention."

Ullu kept close to Ono as he put his left-wing over her.

"We'll go in together."

The two followed Anga as they pierced the clouds. Almost immediately upon doing so, they felt the air turn foul and reek of destitute.

The three nearly coughed as they tried to power through the horrible sensation. That was until they finally passed through the clouds and saw the Northern Kingdom.

All three nearly panicked when they gazed upon the lands below. The birds saw no signs of vegetation only fungus that extruded from sections of the ground.

The land was barren save for one central watering hole near the base of a great rock formation.

The empty watering holes seemed to have been drained through dug canals and forced into the central watering hole.

There were no herds to be found but plenty of bones. More bones than any of them had ever seen. Anga used her keen sight to look closer. Herbivores of all kinds were laid out as skeletons throughout the land.

But they weren't alone. Ullu and Ono looked sighed nearly as many predator bones spread out among them. Not just adults but even cubs. It was like a nightmare.

The dark clouds stole most of the sun's gift and left only darkness over the kingdom.

"I think we've seen enough!" Ullu squawked in fright.

"We haven't seen Radcliffe yet, I don't see anyone."

"You're not looking close enough." Anga almost moaned.

The two birds looked back down at the canyon-like environment below. They finally saw what Anga was looking at and felt their beaks drop open.

An army of the feral predators stretched out along the canyon. Groups dragged in poached animals from every direction and then tore the meat apart like swarms of locust.

Anga tried to look away at the next sight but couldn't. Below them, she saw a series of caves where female and male predators were trapped. These predators ranged from lions, panthers, wild dogs, hyenas, and jaguars.

Groups of the feral predators kept them under guard while another party moved into the various caves. The party consisted of leopards, komodo dragons, and porcupines.

Anga's eyes narrowed as she saw none other than Makucha and Ora leading this party.

"Come on, let's go." Makucha snarled as two of his men dragged away three hyena cubs from their parents.

"No! Please!"

"Quite!" Ora slammed the mother back with his tail. The other contained predators cried out in agony as any cubs were snatched up and taken by Makucha's party.

"No!" Ullu would have covered her eyes were she not flying.

Ono felt his heartbreak as he heard the cries of these cubs and saw their terrified faces.

The cubs were led to a dead tree where two more familiar faces awaited them.

"Hello, there little cubs. You don't need to be afraid anymore. Mama Binturong and aunt Chuluun are going to take care of you now." The white snow leopard jumped down from a tree branch and snarled from behind them.

"You're going to be perfect servants for your king!"

Ono nearly went pale as he looked at the feral predators and then back to the cubs.

He opened his beak as if to speak but nothing came out.

"I've seen enough!" Anga squawked.

"Me too, let's go!"

Unknown to the birds, a wolf watched them from the large rock formation and growled.

"Get them."

"Come on, let's-" Anga noticed something from below.

"Look out!" Ono and Ullu were blindsided by the piercing impact of a Vulture's beak. Ono's left-wing and Ullu's right-wing were hit hard and both lost control of their flight pattern.

"Anga linga!" Anga swooped in and beat back the vulture but another rammed into her side.

"Gaah!" Anga grunted in pain. The eagle furiously tried to fight them off but couldn't forget her friends either.

Using every bit of her strength, Anga fought the two vultures off and forced them away.

Ullu and Ono hit the ground in a controlled manner but still felt the harsh impact.

Ullu slowly opened her eyes as she saw a crevice before her. However, Ullu soon wished she hadn't opened her eyes. The owl squawked so loud she nearly felt her vocals break. Buried in the crevice were more bones. Lioness bones with cubs beside them.

"Ullu!" Ono squawked. He managed to walk over but couldn't fly with his now bent wing.

"Ullu are you ok!?" Ono frantically tried to help Ullu up but her own wing was also bent.

"I can't fly!" She panted in terror.

"Neither can I." The two stared at each other with shared lament.

"Ono, I'm afraid." The egret brought his beak in and tried to comfort her.

"It's going to be ok Ullu."

"Guys!" Anga squawked. She came down over her friends and grabbed them.

"I've got you!" Anga tried to lift them up but groaned as the vulture's strike sent immense pain into her side.

"Ahhhg! Come on!" Anga could only get them a few inches off the ground before dropping down.

Ullu and Ono both heard approaching paw steps and snarls.

While Anga and Ono gave frantic expressions, Ullu simply closed her eyes.

"Anga, leave me."

"What!?" Anga and Ono squawked.

"No way!"

"We're not leaving you behind!" Ono bellowed out as he tried to grab the snow owl.

Ullu teared up.

"Anga can't carry us both. You need to get back and warn the others."

Ono's eyes filled with tears as well.

"No! I'm not leaving you!"

"Then we'll all die! Please, Ono, you have to live, for me."

Ullu brought her face against Ono's and Anga trembled.

"Anga, please."

The violet eagle began to sob.

"I'm sorry." Anga lifted up into the air with Ono in her talons.

"No! Anga let go of me! Ullu! Ullu!" Ono's tears fell down like drops of rain.

Ullu let out a smile as she saw her friends getaway. The growls and paw steps of three feral predators filled Ullu's senses. She closed her eyes and laid down before they piled on.

"Stop!" A spine-tingling snarl made all three of the feral predators jump back.

Ullu felt a foul breath over her and then a powerful paw press against her back.

Kuzimu stared down at Ullu with his one good eye in intrigue.

"I recognize her, she was a scout for the Tree of Life." A malevolent smile emerged on the wolf's face and he came down to Ullu's beak.

"I think the King will be most interested in you."

Ullu's shivered as if she were back in the tundra. But the air around her was hot and dry. Kuzimu carried the snow owl across the plateau until he reached three more rocks that extruded up.

There were no bones around this area. In fact, it was very well maintained.

Ullu was dropped before the center rock and heard two growls. She was far too afraid to look up but had no choice when Kuzimu pulled her head back.

On the lower rocks, Ullu saw none other than Timora and Shetani growl at her.

Resting on the largest rock was a lion. The lion looked a little older than Kion and Rani. Perhaps even older than Kiara. His fur was a darker shade of gold than Kion's but wasn't brown like a Night Lion's. His body was efficient in its muscle very much like Kion or Baliyo's.

His mane extended long and was vibrant in ruby red mixed in with onyx black. Both fur and mane were medically groomed with a handsome face in the center.

His fangs were a near pearly white and his eyes shined blue like the ocean. However, despite his appearing look, Ullu saw a malevolent expression upon his face.

The lion stared down at her with intrigue for several agonizing moments of silence.

"A spy from the Tree of Life, your majesty."

The lion rose to his feet and slammed into the ground before Ullu.

The snow owl felt ready to pass out when his head lowered and emerged into a smile.

"Hello there, what's your name?"

Ullu was silent.

"The King asked you a question!" Timora snarled before the lion raised his paw.

"Give her a moment, Timora. She looks quite overwhelmed. My name is Radcliffe." Radcliffe's voice was somewhat smooth but held a clear power behind it. It was a voice that should have sounded enchanting but only carried something else beneath it.

"If she won't talk she's no good to us. Let's eat her and be done with it."

"No, birds are fun to hunt. They're quite challenging." Shetani growled in anticipation.

"Not this one. Her wing's busted."

Shetani's expression changed.

"That's no fun then."

"Enough! I just want to find out who our guest is. I've told you my name, it's only polite to give me yours?" Redcliffe kept his smile and Ullu didn't stop trembling.

"My name is Ullu, I serve the King and Queen of the Tree of Life!"

"Ullu, that's a pretty name." Radcliffe slowly moved his right paw across Ullu's feathers.

"So it would seem your King and Queen have taken a keen interest in me. I must say, I'm disappointed they sent spies instead of envoys. Rulers ought to treat each other with dignity. But what can I expect from those who would harbor a murderer."

Ullu nearly shot herself up and hooted angrily.

"You're everything Kopa said you were! These monsters do your bidding! You're brainwashing cubs to be mindless slaves! And you're poaching from every land you can reach!"

Redcliffe lowered his head and stroked Ullu again.

"I am the King and I must keep my subjects fed. The herds have regretfully run dry here."

Redcliffe's companions began to laugh a little.

"A King who poaches is no King at all!"

Ullu stopped when she felt Radcliffe's flaws dig past her feathers.

The King's smile didn't waver but his eyes narrowed.

"You're very brave. I like that. But you must understand, things here are done my way. If I see fit to take what belongs to me. If I can take it, I will. " Radcliffe began to tear off some of Ullu's feathers as the owl breathed frantically.

"It's interesting you came here. Shetani told me much about your Kingdom, if it's half as beautiful as he describes it, I will savor its magnificence."

Ullu's eyes widened.

"What?"

Radcliffe's smile grew.

"Poaching has sustained my lands for now. But taking meat will only get you so much. Good land will provide me with so much more. The makings of an Empire I should think. At least until it's served its purpose."

Ullu trembled.

"You want to take the Tree of Life!"

Radcliffe let go of Ullu and glanced at his companions.

Shetani laughed before he jumped down to Ullu's left and made her stumble away in fear.

Timora jumped down to Ullu's right and made he crawl backward.

Kuzimu snapped his jaws at Ullu and made her scramble forward until she saw Radcliffe's face before her.

"I know you must feel rather frightened. But give me a moment and you'll be enlightened."

Ullu saw Radcliffe's companions circle her.

"I see that Kopa gave you ideas about me. But you can see I'm followed so devoutly."

Radcliffe moved his head in closer again.

"The world hold's so much to offer. Something I'm not willing to scoffer. But if you're going to make it. You have to be willing to take it!"

Radcliffe scaled his rock again.

"So be prepared for the rise of an Emperor! Be prepared for a grandiose dawn!"

Ullu tried to back up again.

"And like any other! Who makes all rivals shutter!" Kuzimu sang while snapping his jaws at Ullu.

"We'll take all that we see fit, and are going to keep it!" Shetani growled.

Radcliffe had reached the top of his center rock.

"With such power as bases, I hold all the aces and seize all I see to be fair! So for anyone willing to dare, be prepared!"

Ullu's fear subsided into defiance for a moment.

"You'll never take the Tree of Life."

Radcliffe lept down and clipped a few more of Ullu's feathers off her wings.

The snow owl hooted in pain while Radcliffe dragged her across the rocky ground.

"You're far too cynical. We've only just met, you have no idea what I'm truly capable of."

"Kion's beaten back your friends here! He can do it again!"

"I look forward to meeting the son of Simba. It's been a long time since I was truly entertained. Perhaps he'll be more exciting than that fool Kopa."

"Don't forget about other important things, my King." Timora growled.

Radcliffe's expression changed.

"Ahh yes, the future. My legacy must continue but the answer lies in the Tree of Life as well."

"Answer?" Ullu stuttered with immense fear.

"Yes, an Emperor requires a worthy heir. None here could provide me with a good one." Ullu's face went pale again as she remembered the crevice.

"But Queen Rani. Yes, she comes from a long and prestigious bloodline. I've heard tales of her strength and beauty. She will provide me with what I desire."

Radcliffe dragged Ullu to the edge of the rock formation and forced her to look below.

"What say you!? Your King desires a new Kingdom!"

Makucha, Ora, Chuluun, and Binturong coaxed the feral predators into a unified roar. One that nearly shook the rock. Ullu gazed at the feral predators as they rallied up in lines and formations. Their size and cohesion were terrifying.

Despite all her fear, Ullu narrowed her eyes for a final defiant look.

"You don't stand a chance against Kion. Once you see the Roar of the Elders, you'll-"

Radcliffe grabbed Ullu by the back of her head and forced her to stare at four rock pillars towering over the canyon. Five of his feral predators rested on these pillars and chanted with the others.

Radcliffe arched his head back and the sky began to thunder. Ullu gazed up at the dark clouds and saw demonic lion heads form before a red typhoon unleashed from them and Radcliffe's mouth.

This roar shattered the four pillars and sent all the feral predators tumbling below among the debris. Radcliffe had seen his predators on them but acted as if they weren't there.

Ullu felt her tongue dry up and her body go still. Radcliffe's companions savored the expression on her face.

"So be prepared for a glorious future! Be prepared for an Empire's golden age!" Radcliffe sang.

"We'll see endless glory, a remarkable story!" Timora sang.

"A ruler who delivers, makes all his foes shiver!" Shetani sang.

"Scribed in the pages! A ruler of ages! An Emperor who you cannot compare! So for anyone willing to dare, be prepared!" Radcliffe smacked Ullu off the rock and sent her tumbling down to the canyon below.

She landed hard but stayed conscious long enough to see the countless predators around her.

"So for anyone willing to dare! Be prepared!" Radcliffe snapped his teeth and the predators were unleashed.

The King's companions laughed as they watched their beasts eat. Radcliffe only kept a controlled smile and stared up.


	8. Chapter 8: Clash of Kings

The Night Guard stood before Kion and Rani. Baliyo nearly trembled with wide eyes at his sister while Afia giggled.

"So you're like absolutely sure!?" Nirmala slowly nodded with a warm smile.

"Congratulations, we're so honored to be the first ones you told. Or is it just because everyone else is asleep?" Surak and Nirmala gave Afia a stern look but Rani was too overcome with joy to care.

"Rani, this is great. You guys." The young lion became lost for words.

Kion nuzzled Rani again before they both looked at Nirmala and Surak.

"You guys said you had news for us too." Nirmala and Surak both took a deep breath with hard expressions.

"Yes, after what happened with Shetani and our cubs. We've decided to leave the Night Pride."

Rani's eyes widened for a moment.

"You are!? But you've been part of the Night Pride since before I was."

"Rani, we've never looked down on our service in the Night Pride. But our cubs spend all their time with a sitter." Surak groaned.

Nirmala nudged Vala and Vadik as they rested between them.

"We almost lost them. I'd never been more scared in my life."

Kion looked back at Rani who slowly nodded with a sigh.

"You guys have served the Kingdom well. I can't blame you for wanting to leave because of this."

"We're going to miss you." Afia said.

"We're not leaving the Kingdom." Surak growled.

"You'll probably be up in the day though. Just like Rani." Baliyo chuckled.

"It's a hard choice but it's yours to make. It will be nice seeing you both more." Kion smiled.

Surak and Nirmala slowly gave more optimistic expressions.

"We have our replacements picked out already. They just await your final approval."

Afia and Baliyo moved aside to reveal another two Night Lions. The two monarchs quickly recognized them as none other than Idan and Kanda.

Both looked quite excited as they bowed before their rulers.

"Queen Rani, King Kion." Kanda said in a giddish manner.

Rani carefully gazed at the two lions.

"Kanda, Idan. Do you swear to uphold the laws and peace of our Kingdom?"

"We do."

"Do you swear to protect those who live here to the best of your abilities?"

"We do."

"Do you swear to follow the leadership of Baliyo?"

"We do."

"Are you prepared to give your lives for others?"

"We are."

"As Queen of the Tree of Life, I hereby grant you the rank of Night Pride guardians. May the strength of the Tree flow through you." Rani put her left paw on their right shoulders as the mark of the Night Pride appeared.

Both rose their heads in jubilance and the rulers smiled.

"Welcome to the Night Pride." Baliyo said.

"I hope you're ready for long nights and boring days." Afia laughed.

"Well if we're done here, we better get moving. We have poachers and territorial herds to hold off."

"Be watchful for Radcliffe's forces as well." Kion growled with some intensity.

Baliyo's face turned more serious as well and he nodded.

"Alright you two, time for bed." Nirmala said as she and Surak picked up their cubs.

"Aww, but we slept all day!" Vala groaned.

Baliyo led the Night Pride towards the border. He didn't notice Idan and Kanda glance at each theory as they did.

"So you finally made it into the Night Pride. How does it feel?"

Kanda's excitement was ready to burst through her face.

"I'm ready for it! I've been ready for a long time." Idan gave a warm smile.

"I'm glad you made it."

Idan's eyes narrowed slightly.

"I will miss Gael though."

"Hmp, ahh yes. Can't forget Gael."

Kanda's expression turned more particular .

"But it will be nice spending time with you again." Idan's face blushed slightly.

Kion and Rani both yawned as they turned back to the Tree.

"So many changes." Kion said.

"Changes aren't always bad." The King smiled as he nudged against Rani's head.

"Not always."

The following morning was lively, to say the least. The King's Guard and Kopa's party had gathered around the Tree of Life with the monarchs.

"What!?" Bunga nearly jumped out of his fur while his eyes went so wide they came close to falling out.

"Woah! Are you for real!?" Beshte huffed.

Rani came close to tears again as Makini came forward.

"Nirmala and I were positive. In a few months, Kion and Rani will have a cub!"

"This is, fantastic, it's magnificent!" Kopa's eyes nearly lit up like the stars.

"How about that." Jade laughed.

"My King, my Queen. This is cause for celebration!" Beskerm roared.

Obasi huffed and almost jumped onto his hind legs. The Rhino gave the same expression as Kopa while Talib's expression was more bittersweet. Dakarai's death had not yet passed his mind.

"A cub huh, good luck." Fuli laughed before Azaad glanced over at her.

"Really, you don't want cubs?" He said with a particular smile.

"Don't get any bright ideas." Fuli didn't lose her smile.

"Well, you may reconsider in time. After all, I'm not going anywhere." Azaad said as he emphasized the Night Pride mark on his shoulder.

"This is so great! I'm going to be uncle Bunga! Is it going to be a boy or a girl! Let me think of all the fun things we could do!"

"Easy Bunga. You have to share them with aunt Binga." The female honey badger said with a similar smile.

"My Queen, my King. The Kingdom will rejoice to hear this news. Shall I spread the word?" Cadoc asked.

"You may. Also, see if there's anyone who can make a trip to Pride Rock." Rani said as she glanced back at Kion.

The young king nodded with a warm smile.

His earlier angst about Vitani and her intrusion was now dwarfed by excitement. He could only imagine how excited his parents would be. Not to mention the timing, Kiara was less than a month for having her and Kovu's first cub. Now he and Rani would soon have their own cub as well.

"Just wait until Anga, Ono, and Ullu find out. Ohh, let me tell them! I want to see the look on their faces when-" Bunga started.

"Oh my!" Cadoc squawked.

The others looked up to see Anga struggling to stay airborne. Ono was in her talons and both were covered in dirt.

"Look out!" The birds crashed before the tree as the others watched in horror.

"Anga! Ono!" Kion and Makini rushed forward with the others. The mandril gave a terrified expression as she looked at their injuries.

"What happened to you guys!?" She picked up Ono but his expression looked almost as if he were dead.

Tears still streamed down their faces while the others trembled.

"Where's Ullu?" Rani waited in lament for the answer.

"She's, she's gone." Ono muttered.

Kopa lowered his head in mourning.

"Radcliffe."

"It was exactly how Kopa described. All we found was death and misery. Makucha and his gang were there, all of them. The feral predators."

Anga tried to catch her breath.

Makini came over and massaged the eagle's neck.

"Easy, Anga. Breathe."

She told the others exactly what they saw. What Radcliffe did to make his perfect soldiers.

All of their faces turned white. Even Kopa and his companions were shaken by this.

"He, he." Jade stuttered.

"I knew he was a tyrant. But this, I've never seen anyone do this. It's demonic." Seeing Kopa so afraid only brought more dread to Kion and Rani.

"We left Ullu behind. It should have been me." Ono sobbed.

"Ono." Kion started.

"It should have been me!" Ono broke down into an uncontrollable sob.

Anga similarly lost herself.

"I should have tried harder. I wasn't strong enough."

The same agony that had stricken them just the other day after Shetani's rampage returned. Each animal teared up, even Kopa.

"This was a mistake. We never should have sent you. I'm sorry." Kion sobbed.

"No." Ono squawked. His tone had done an about-face.

A fire erupted around Ono's expression in a way none of his friends had ever seen.

"Now we know what Radcliffe is. What he's doing! We have to stop him! We must get justice!"

Kopa stepped forward and nodded.

"Ono's right. Radcliffe won't be satisfied with poaching anymore. Our new defense has rendered poaching unsustainable. Before long he will turn to other means. But if we strike first we can end him before that happens."

"Strike first?" Kion muttered in fear.

"Yes, call forth the soldiers of this Kingdom. The soldiers of the island, the jungle, the tundra. Go forth on a righteous crusade to end Radcliffe's tyranny!"

Rani and Kion couldn't respond. But Kopa's companions quickly backed him up.

"Radcliffe has struck first. You need no further cause." Talib huffed.

"Strike before he's ready. End this threat before it comes here." Beskerm growled.

"Hold on, rallying all the surrounding lands to defend ourselves is one thing. But just going to kill a King." Bunga said with his hands up.

"Radcliffe has to be stopped! After what he did!" Ono squawked.

"Ono, revenge won't bring Ullu back." Beshte tried to nudge his smaller friend. Ono began to tear up again.

"It will stop him from hurting anyone else!"

Anga still trembled.

"I don't want to go back there. Ever."

"So we just wait here until he comes to us? We'd let him bring the fight to our subjects." Jade growled.

"We asked the others to help protect the Kingdom. I can't ask them to risk their lives on something like this. I don't even think they'll all agree to it." Kion said.

"They will if you ask them to. You're their King and Queen. They swore their loyalty to you." Kopa growled.

"To protect our home." Rani countered.

"This is protecting it!" Kopa growled more fiercely.

"Sometimes taking the fight to your enemies is the right thing to do. It's not just this land that needs saving. We now know the full extent of Radcliffe's evil. Do you mean to let him continue brainwashing cubs into his mindless slaves? Or let him spread his Kingdom's destitute elsewhere?"

Kion and Rani felt the conflict inside them grow.

All of this was happening so fast. Not to mention the revelation of their cub.

"May we speak alone." Kopa growled more calmly.

Both slowly followed Kopa to the Tree's entryway.

"After everything that's happened, I would have hoped you'd see reason on this."

"Kopa we want to protect our home from Radcliffe but-"

"But what, killing another King is too much for you? Do you still see me as a murderer?" Kopa growled.

"Kopa, calm down." Rani said.

"Calm down! I'm thinking of you both! I haven't seen my daughter since she was a cub since we came together I've seen you as my own children! I want you to live a long and prosperous reign. I want to see your child grow into a magnificent ruler." Kopa's growl faded into a sad moan.

"All my life, I've dreamed of a place like this. Of rulers like you. You're everything this world needs and I can't sit here and watch this place become like Pride Rock was under Scar. I can't lose you like I lost your grandfather."

Kion and Rani thought more about Dakarai and Ullu. Not only that but their own child. The two came forward and nuzzled their heads against Kopa's.

"Kion, Rani. I know this is hard for you both. You were raised to believe in righteous rulers. That if a cub was properly cared for and guided they would rule fairly. But you haven't seen the horrors that rulers like Radcliffe can bring. Dakarai, Ullu, and the others. It's only the beginning. You have the power to stop him, you have the power to save more lives!" Kopa stared deeply into their eyes as they trembled.

"You know what you have to do. Now you only need find the strength to do it."

The two looked at each other for a moment and were about to speak.

"My King! My Queen!" Cadoc squawked.

The eagle frantically flew inside and drew their attention.

"Sorry to interrupt but we uh, have visitors from the west." Kion realized that in all the confusion he hadn't met with the other Guards yet.

"The Jungle Guard met them at the western border and let them in."

"Who are they-" Kion's eyes widened and his mouth dropped. stepped out of the entryway and stared as his parents sprinted towards him.

"Kion!" Simba roared with Nala close behind.

"Woah!" Bunga nearly stumbled onto the ground.

The others were just as shocked to see their former King and Queen rush past them.

"Simba! Nala!" Fuli shouted.

"Oh no." Beskerm backed up with Jade and the others.

"Kion!" Simba let out a joyous breath of relief when he finally reached his son and nuzzled against his. Nala nearly pounced onto Kion from the other side.

Kopa's face turned to terror as he backed up and out of the tree. Rani approached her mate and his parents before Nala brought her in as well.

"Rani." She purred with similar relief.

Before Kion could say anything, Simba finally saw Kopa and put on a feral expression.

The King snapped his jaws at Kopa and forced himself in front of Kion.

"Get away from my son!"

"Dad!"

Kopa began to growl back.

"I will stand with my King."

"He's nothing to you!"

"I beg to differ."

Nala quickly came up beside Simba and added her own fierce expression.

"Don't test us, Kopa!"

"Feelings mutual!" Jade snarled as she and Beskerm rushed beside Kopa.

Vegter, Obasi, and Talib quickly did the same.

"That's enough!" Kion's roar quickly silenced the standoff and he put himself between both groups.

"Mom, Dad, what are you doing here?"

Both gave almost terrified looks as they came up beside Kion again.

"We were worried about you. After what happened with Vitani." Nala said.

"Kion you don't understand who Kopa is. What he's done."

"He knows exactly who I am. Because I told him everything. I'm here because my King and Queen want me beside them."

Simba's feral expression before.

"You will stay away from my son or I'll."

"I said stop! Both of you! Mom, dad you both have some explaining to do with Vitani." Kion didn't growl but did speak firmly.

Rani nodded as she came up beside him.

"She entered our Kingdom against our wishes and helped a murderer get inside. We lost several subjects and a close friend."

Simba and Nala lowered their heads in guilt.

"Kion I didn't know Kopa was here. If I had, then we'd have come ourselves." Simba said softly.

"We were horrified at the thought of a murderer by our son's side."

"Kopa's no murderer, Radcliffe is!" Ono furiously squawked.

Simba and Nala looked back at Ono. The rest of the King's Guard seemed to match his expression.

"That King you were so eager to help. He killed Ullu! He's done unspeakable things! He's a monster worse than Scar ever was!"

Simba and Nala found themselves speechless. Their breathing slowed and their hearts raced.

"We have a lot to talk about." Kion growled.

Kion, Rani, Kopa, Makini, Nala, and Simba all rested inside the Tree interior. Kopa and Simba exchanged fiery stares while their fangs occasionally flashed.

However, Simba and Nala became lost in Kion's description of the Northern Kingdom.

Nala lost her breath when she heard about the cub slaves.

"Radcliffe, I never could have imagined-"

"What, that a King who was the rightful heir could be a monster like Scar. Or perhaps you never cared about what happened outside of Pride Rock." Kopa growled.

"Kopa, could you and Makini give us a minute alone." Kopa slowly bowed his head.

"As you command." Kopa gave Simba one more glare before he walked out of the tree with Makini.

"I know this isn't the best time but how are you feeling." Kopa gave a slight smile.

"Very good actually. I haven't felt like this since before my fight with Radcliffe. I think I may have fully recovered."

"Oh, well that's great."

Kion sighed as he and Rani looked back at his parents.

"So, how are things back at home?"

"They're well." Nala purred.

"And Kiara? How's she coming along?"

"She's been quite tired and a bit emotional lately. Her due date draws near."

Rani gave a nervous expression as she began to think about the side effects her pregnancy would bring.

"You two look like you're well." Simba said softly. Kion and Rani gave each other warm smiles.

"You could say that."

"….Kion, what exactly has Kopa been telling you?"

Kion sighed.

"Dad, I know what you think he is. But Kopa has helped us."

"Kion."

"Things are better here because of his counsel. We've united all of the surrounding lands into one Kingdom."

Simba and Nala's eyes widened in horror.

"You did what!?" Nala shouted.

"Kion, those lands aren't yours to rule."

"Calm down. All of their rulers agreed to unite with us. We're all working together now to protect our lands and-" Rani started.

"Kion, this isn't right." Simba interrupted.

Kion's eyes narrowed and his face became more defensive.

"It might seem that way from Pride Rock. But things are different here. Before Kopa showed up we were on the verge of being overrun by poachers. Radcliffe's soldiers came close to wiping out the surrounding lands. By uniting we've driven them back."

Rani nodded.

"All of those rulers work with me to govern the lands. They work with Kion to protect our borders. We're aren't tyrants."

Simba and Nala lowered their heads in pain.

It was as they had feared. Kopa had managed to influence their son and daughter by law.

Kion saw the agony in his parents' expressions and realized Kopa was right. Both only looked at things from their perspective. Both of them only saw that they now ruled more land than they were originally entrusted.

Something Mufasa had clearly warned his father of when he was a cub.

"You know, there's other news too. Something quite big." Simba and Nala looked back with cautious expressions.

"What?" Kion and Rani felt their optimism return with warm smiles.

"We thought you'd like to know. Kion and I are going to have a cub."

Simba and Nala's pain and concern instantly faded. After the initial shock, Simba and Nala felt their happiness return in a way they never would have guessed.

Their expressions filled with the same passion they had felt when Kiara and Kovu told them the same thing.

"Kion, Rani." Nala lost her breath and quickly nuzzled them both.

Simba soon joined in and before long Rani laid on her side.

Nala carefully brushed her snout against Rani's stomach with her warm smile.

"Your cub feels strong like their father."

"I certainly hope so."

Kion and Simba gazed at the two with gentle smiles.

"When did you find out?"

"Just the other day. It's funny really, we'd only recently talked about having one." Simba could see the hidden angst in his son's eyes.

"How are you feeling about it?" Kion took a deep breath.

"I'm certainly excited but I'm also nervous. Being a good dad while also being a good King. Not to mention everything going on with Radcliffe." Simba nudged his head against Kion's for a moment.

"It won't always be easy. But in time, it will come to you."

"How did you do so well with Kiara and? Grandpa died when you were young." Kion's expression remained anxious.

Simba chuckled a little.

"I didn't do it alone. I had your mother and my friends. You and Rani have each other and so many true friends. I have a feeling you're going to be an even better father than me."

Kion smiled slightly.

"I don't know about that."

"I do." Simba licked the side of Kion's face.

Kopa wasn't far away at the tree's entrance. The lion gave a deep sigh before he turned and walked out completely.

As the minutes went by, Nala took over for Simba by Kion's side and the older King walked out for some fresh air.

Simba took a deep breath while also taking in the Kingdom around him. The last time he had been there, his focus had been entirely on his son's coronation. Now he had a chance to see the different environments and animals.

Simba could see how well Kion and Rani had looked after their domain. As Simba turn this had, he saw Kopa to his left. A dour look rested on the lion's face before he too saw Simba beside him.

Both glared intensely at each other but didn't growl.

"Your son is doing well. I've made sure of it."

"Don't talk about my son."

"I'll talk however I please. You're not my King anymore." Kopa growled.

Simba took a deep breath.

"How did you even get here?"

"Radcliffe, he almost killed me."

"When you went to murder him." Kopa glared more intensely.

"I went to dethrone a tyrant. It didn't go as planned, I was left dying until we were led here by Azaad. Kion and Rani saved my life. I soon found out he was your son…You raised him well, I've never seen a better King in my life." Simba's expression changed slightly.

Kopa took a painful breath.

"Imani, Zuri. Are they well?"

Simba slowly nodded.

"They are. Zuri's found a mate from the western pride lands."

"…Is he good to her."

"According to Kiara."

Kopa gave a bittersweet smile.

"When I was bleeding out, she was the only thing I could think about. Even my mission wasn't there."

"Your mission to kill-"

Kopa looked back at Simba one more time. He didn't growl or show fiery anger but instead frustration.

"You know, there was a time I thought the world of you, Simba. The son of Mufasa who came back to free us from Scar. Who brought life back to our home. You may have lost your father to Scar but you didn't see what we saw!" Kopa moved closer with his intense expression.

"You didn't watch your home wither away into nothing day by day. You didn't see the hyenas torment and subjugate us in our own land! You were living a carefree life, eating bugs and singing."

Simba's expression was a mixture of guilt and angst.

"When you came back, I felt something I hadn't known in years. Hope. I wanted to give that hope to others. Show them that there are those willing to stand up to tyranny and injustice. I wanted to serve a true King who devotes himself to his people. One who inspires those under them. For the longest time, I thought that was you. Now I see it's Kion and Rani."

Simba opened his mouth as if to speak but nothing came out.

Kopa sighed and lowered his head again.

"Whatever became of Shenzi, Banzai and the other hyenas?"

Simba looked back at Kopa for a moment.

"They went back to the outlands and had given birth to their next generation. Janja was one of them. That was until I banished Zira and her followers. They passed through hyena territory and weren't all too happy to find them considering what they did to Scar." Kopa looked back with interest.

"I thought Janja was still alive. Kion's talked about him."

"Janja and the pups survived with a few adults. Shines, Banzai, and Ed weren't so lucky."

Kopa nodded.

There were a few moments of silence between them as the sun rose higher into the sky.

"You convinced them to take the surrounding lands."

Kopa's face showed no hesitation.

"I did and I praise them for listening to me."

"Those lands had rulers."

"Rulers who willingly knelt before their King and Queen. They were given a choice and no repercussions for saying no."

Simba looked conflicted but still uneasy.

"Now you want him to go and depose Radcliffe."

"…It must be done Simba."

"There's a difference between deposing a false king and radically removing a sitting monarch. You could end up destabilizing the kingdom, make things worse."

"They can't get any worse Simba. This has always been your biggest flaw, you've never had the courage to do what was truly necessary." Kopa turned his back to Simba.

"After all, it wasn't you who killed Scar."

Simba narrowed his eyes.

"Killing isn't always the answer."

"But sometimes it is."

Simba took a deep breath before he walked back inside.

Simba sat down beside Rani and Makini for a minute while Kion had a moment alone with Nala.

"Mom come on. I'm not a cub anymore." Kion grunted as Nala passionately licked across his face and mane.

"You'll always be my cub." Nala purred.

Kion felt her nuzzled his head for another few moments.

"Kion, you have to know that what happened with Vitani."

"Mom, it's ok. I know you and dad would never tell her to do what she did. Everything has gotten so complicated. I wish things were simpler again." Nala took a deep breath as she saw the fatigue on Kion's face and nudged against him again.

"Kion, that's part of being a good ruler. I know it can feel like the weight of the world is on your shoulders but you're strong enough to hold it. You've proven that your father and I couldn't be more proud of you."

Kion smiled a little.

"Well, I have another challenge coming up. I guess you and dad were in a similar situation." Nala nodded.

"Your father had been King less than you have before Kiara came along. Then you not too much later."

"I'll bet things got crazier after I was born." Nala chuckled as she shook her head.

"You were the good one. Kiara was always getting herself into trouble."

Kion looked confused.

"What? Kiara? She was always dad's little girl, following him around, trying to make herself a good Queen."

"That was after you got old enough to remember things. Before that, Kiara constantly got herself into mischief, your father tried to have Timon and Pumbaa keep an eye on her but Kiara couldn't be stopped. It's actually how she first met Kovu, and Zira." Nala growled slightly.

"I see you still don't think fondly of her." Nala kept up her growl.

"That witch was foul until the moment she died. Kiara thought she could be changed. But Zira was like Scar. Some people don't change Kion."

Kion thought of Radcliffe.

Makini looked at Rani's stomach again while Simba sat close by.

"Are you sure there's just one in there?" Rani asked.

"I'm sure Rani."

"Awww, maybe next time."

Simba chuckled.

"You want two cubs right off the bad."

"Or more. I already told Kion I want a big family."

Simba smiled.

"I'm glad to hear that. You both look like you're doing well despite the trouble with Vitani and Radcliffe."

Rani took a deep breath with Makini.

"Makini, how are you holding up?"

"I'm doing well. I've been able to help a lot of animals here. It feels really good to heal the sick and injured. Give them hope again."

"Even Kopa."

"Simba, I can't pretend like I understand how you feel about him given your history. But since Kopa showed up he's done nothing but help us. He's been as loyal as any of our friends. I truly believe he cares about us and wants to see this Kingdom prosper."

Simba took a deep breath.

"I believe he has good intentions. My problem is how he'd achieve them. I don't see his ambitions for you both ending here. He convinced you to absorb the surrounding lands. He'll want you to take more."

Rani began to think back to what Kopa had first told her and Kion. Kopa himself had claimed that he wanted all the lands ruled by the ideal monarchs. Did Simba have a point?

"No, Kopa has listened to us when we've objected. He's only ever come to us with advice. He's never compelled us to do anything."

"Are you certain?"

Rani was silent for another moment.

"Pardon the interruption, my Queen." Cadoc said carefully as he came in.

"The rest of your council is here and we're wondering if you're able to go out in your condition?"

Rani quickly rose up with a determined expression.

"I certainly am." Kion and Nala rejoined them.

"My King, will you be joining the other Guards as well?"

Kion looked back at his parents.

"We don't want to keep you from your duties." Simba sighed.

"You can come with us if you'd like." Kion suggested.

"That sounds nice." Simba's optimism rose as he came over to Kion.

"I think I'll join you, Rani. We have a lot to talk about." Nala said in a manner that made Rani a little nervous.

Several minutes later, Simba walked beside Kion and the rest of his King's Guard. All except Anga and Ono, both of whom were being looked after by Makini.

Simba kept a close eye on Kopa, Vegter, Obasi, and Talib as they followed.

"So how's everyone else back at Pride Rock doing? Like my uncles."

"They're well. All of your parents are. They asked me to see how all of you were doing."

"We could be better, all considering." Beshte groaned as he continued to mourn Ullu.

"Come on Beshte, we can't forget our duty. The last thing Ullu would want is for us to let others get hurt because of our lament." Fuli placed her paw on Beshte's right shoulder and the hippo slowly nodded.

Simba took notice of the local inhabitants' various reactions as they passed. All of them seemed quite excited to see Kion and the others pass by. Even Kopa seemed to get positive greetings.

"Good morning your majesty!"

"Good day King Kion!"

"Show those poachers and rowdy herds who you are sire!"

Kopa saw Simba's reaction and gave a slight smirk.

"This complicates things I would imagine." Talib whispered in Kopa's ears.

"Possibly, however, we must stay optimistic."

"What if he convinces Kion to undo everything we've worked for?"

"He won't. Kion and Rani have seen how effective the united lands are. As has everyone else."

"What about the Crusade? Justice for Dakarai, Ullu, and so many others."

"….That will be more difficult. But not impossible. Simba can't stay here forever. I doubt after what happened Rani and Kion will make us leave. We just have to wait."

"How long? Every day we wait Radcliffe makes more animals suffer. We are duty-bound to put an end to his tyranny."

"Yes but it must be Kion who does it. We tried to stop him and were nearly wiped out. Kion has the strength to stand against him. I know it, we just have to convince him to see it through."

Eventually, they met up with the other Guards in the savanna region.

"There you are. We were wondering-" Rune began until he saw Simba.

"Who's this?" Rune could see how much Simba resembled Kion.

"This is my father, Simba."

"Simba! The Simba!" Advik jumped and sprinted over.

"Your majesty! I, you, forgive me. Duke Advik of the eastern Tundra. Loyal vassal of your son. I'm privileged to meet a King of your reputation!" Advik nearly shook as his words muttered out.

"Calm down. King Simba, Prince Rune of the Jungle." The white lion bowed his head.

"Rune, I think I've heard of your father Leo. I heard a lot of good things about him."

"He was quite the lion. Some say he was even an inspiration to you." Rune said in a joking manner.

"Perhaps."

"King Simba. I'm Mungo, Marquis George's Guard Commander."

"A pleasure to meet you all. So it's true, each of you willingly joined this Kingdom."

"The Eastern Tundra was saved by our King even when we betrayed him. He is our King and we'll follow him anywhere!" Advik's Tundra Guard quickly backed him up.

Simba, Kion, and Kopa took particular notice of the last bit.

"It was for the best. All of our lands have vastly improved since we did so." Rune said.

Simba was taken back by their attitudes and it only became more poignant throughout the day. He joined his son and Guard as they responded to the various intruders across the borders. They were called to stop two poaching parties and a territorial herd throughout the day.

During this time, Simba was able to see the other lands as well. The Island, Jungle and Eastern Tundra all seemed just as prosperous as the various regions in the Tree itself.

Simba watched in awe as the locals greeted Kion as their King with reverence and deep admiration.

Kopa similarly took notice of Simba's reactions and gave an intrigued smile.

Meanwhile, Rani and her council had gathered in the wetlands. They stood before a thick pool of mud where half a water buffalo herd was stuck.

"Hold on guys! We'll get you out!" The herd's leader huffed with a terrified expression. The various buffalo desperately struggled to get out but their efforts only brought them deeper into the mud.

"Everyone calm down! You're only making things worse!" Rani growled though not aggressively. She did, however, make the buffalo go still in obedience.

Nala smiled in admiration at the respect her daughter by law commanded.

Rani carefully looked at the buffalo, particularly the calves.

"How long before thirst becomes a problem?" She asked.

"We all drank this morning." The herd leader huffed.

"I'd say we have a few hours at least. Though the sun's not doing us any favors." Mary looked up at the mud's lack of shade.

"If it hardens any more it could make it worse." George said in concern.

"We should focus on the calves first. Binga do you think you could dig them out?"

"I could try. Hold on." Binga jumped into the mud and swam through it like a dolphin through water.

She reached the first calf and began to dig around his legs.

"Hold on, I'll get you out!" Binga meticulously dug a path through the mud and allowed the calf to ease himself forward.

The herd leader and the other buffalo not stuck huffed in excitement.

"Alright, that takes care of the calves. Now to help the adults. We can't go in without getting stuck ourselves. We need leverage I would think."

Rani tapped her mouth as she thought.

"What about vines?" Mary asked.

"Vines?" Cael asked.

"Yes, we tie them around the buffalos' horns and then pull them out. Cael, go with Mary to collect as many strong vines as you can. Jade, you and Beskerm find Chidlike and other large animals to help pull them out."

"No problem." Jade said confidently as she left with Beskerm for lake Pratimbimba.

Mary and Cael departed as well.

Nala continued to smile at Rani as she watched Binga help the calves out.

"It's ashamed you and Kiara don't spend time together. I have a feeling you'd get along well."

"She's welcome to visit."

"You wouldn't want to see Pride Rock?"

Rani shook her head.

"I have too many responsibilities here. I promised my grandmother I'd rule diligently."

"That may not be so easy for the next few months."

Rani nervously looked at her stomach.

"So, what exactly can I expect." Nala gave a slightly mischevious smile.

"Fatigue, upset stomach, bad headaches, emotional distress."

Rani began to breathe heavily.

"And then something you'll love more than you ever realized you could." Rani's face turned more optimistic.

"I hope I can be a good Queen and a good mother."

Nala nudged her head against Rani's face.

"It can be done, Rani. You're strong and diligent, if anyone can do it, it's you."

Rani felt warm hearing this from Nala. She had been quite young when her own mother passed and it had been a year since she lost her grandmother. Rani grew more appreciative of Nala's presence.

Eventually, Binga got the calves out and the others arrived with help.

Cadoc and Binga tied the jungle-vines around each buffalo's horns.

Half were grabbed by two elephants a polar bear, and three rhinos. The rest was held by the other buffalo and Rani's party.

Rani and Nala pulled on one together.

Across from them, Jade and Beskerm did the same.

"Come on! We can do it!" Rani growled.

Slowly but surely the buffalo were dragged to freedom.

The lead buffalo cried out in joy with his herds. Each of whom bowed before Rani.

"My Queen, you've saved us!"

"I didn't do it alone."

Later that evening, Simba, Kion, Nala, and Rani rested by the Tree of Life. They were joined by Baliyo, Afia, Nirmala, Surak, and their cubs.

"Really?" Simba said as he looked at a confident Baliyo.

"Yep, not too shabby if I do say so myself."

"That's him on a good night." Afia countered as the other Night lions chuckled.

"The Night Pride sounds quite exceptional." Nala added.

"Our time in it was some of the best of our lives." Nirmala purred.

"I appreciate your loyal service."

Baliyo nodded.

"We've heard a lot about the King of Pride Rock too. It sounds like your home has been through a lot." Baliyo said.

"You could say that." Nala chuckled.

"We can't talk much given recent events." Kion said as Rani nodded.

"We're all going to miss Ullu deeply. She was our friend for a long time." Baliyo, Afia, Nirmala, and Surak gave mournful eyes.

"We're sorry. Losing a friend is like losing a part of yourself." Simba said with a consoling tone.

"The question is, what do we do about it?" Kion asked.

Rani and the other Night Lions looked just as conflicted as Kion.

"Maybe Kopa's right, this Radcliffe has gone too far." Baliyo growled.

"You're talking about going to war." Surak said in a stern tone.

"He brought the war to us." Baliyo growled back.

"Baliyo has a point. Seeking war when you don't need to is one thing. But how far are we going to let him push us? Until there's nothing left for us to fight for?" Afia growled.

"Acting rash won't help either." Simba said.

"Inaction might be worse." Baliyo growled.

Kion and Rani were starting to get overwhelmed by the two viewpoints. Rani's condition only made it worse for herself.

"Please stop. My head is hurting." Rani moaned while Kion nuzzled her.

"Oh, sorry Rani." Baliyo said with a guilty look.

Nala came over to the young Queen.

"You should get some rest."

Rani nodded and she got up with Kion.

"Good luck with your patrol tonight. Keep your eyes peeled." Baliyo nodded as she similarly got up with Afia.

Simba and Nala watched Kion enter the Tree of Life with Rani.

Both took a deep breath as they thought about everything that had happened that day.

"Thing's aren't as we thought they were." Simba nodded.

"I don't know what the right answer is. Before I thought I had it. Now….." Nala yawned before she rested her head against Simba's.

"Why don't we figure it out tomorrow."

Simba nodded before he rested beside Nala other under the stars.

Nearby, Kopa watched them with Beskerm and Jade.

"What do you think?" Jade nervously growled.

"Nala didn't say much about Radcliffe. What about Simba?" Beskerm similarly growled.

Kopa gave a hopeful smile.

"I was quite amazed by what I saw. Simba may have seen things from a different perspective. Kion may be able to what I could not. Convince his father to take action. I love that boy so much." Kopa purred with a satisfied face.

Author's note

Ahh, fooled you with that title didn't I

Yep after the last chapter, I thought you could use some levity

Simba and Nala see their son again. They learn the good news and the bad

Is Kopa right? is Simba?

So until next time,

Please review, comment, suggest, or ask(VIA PM)


	9. Chapter 9: A King's Wrath

The sun slowly rose over the Tree of Life and brought with it a red sky.

Baliyo and the Night Pride watched the sunrise with slightly fatigued expressions.

"Oh great, red sky at morning, be sure to take warning." Afia groaned.

"Huh?" Kanda said with a confused expression.

"A red sky in the morning means a storm is probably going to come later." Baliyo answered.

"Well, our shift is over. I sometimes sleep better with a little rain." Idan chuckled.

"Not yet, we still have to wait for Hana to come and give her final report." Afia reminded him.

Baliyo sighed in lament.

Hana had proven herself a diligent scout. But she only made him think of Ullu and her untimely demise. Baliyo growled for a moment in rage. If Radcliffe were there right now, Baliyo would rip his head off and-

"Night Pride!" All four lion's quickly turned to a Snow Hawk that flew at towards them with a frantic expression.

"Night Pride! We, they-"

"Calm down Hana, what's happening?" Baliyo raised his paw to Hana's head in an attempt to ease her.

"We have company!?"

The ground began to tremble beneath them as Afia, Kanda, and Idan got anxious.

"Oh no." Baliyo's eyes widened as he saw a swarm of herds and packs stamped towards the entrance.

"…..We're going to need back up." Afia said as her face went white.

"What do we do!?" Kanda frantically growled.

"Ok, panicking won't help. Hana, go wake Kion and his King's Guard. Kopa too, he's pretty good with this kind of situation."

"Alright, I'll be fast!"

Baliyo rushed down with the others nervously following suit.

"Woah woah woah. Stop!" Baliyo roared as loud as his lungs would allow.

The stampede showed no signs of slowing down.

"Together!" Baliyo shouted.

All four Night Lions opened their jaws wide and let out a combined roar. Their displayed fangs and terrifying cries finally brought the stampede to a halt inches before a collision.

"Alright, that's more like it. Now, what's going on here?"

"Please, you have to let us in! He's coming!" A giraffe frantically cried.

"Who's coming?" Afia cautiously asked.

"No time! Your Kingdom is the only safe haven left. Please, we're begging you!" A leopard pleaded.

"He's here!" Baliyo and the Night Pride pushed their way through the crowd until they reached the back.

Baliyo carefully stared further out beyond the pass and heard a series of paws. Mixed in were various growls and pants. Finally, several figures came into sight.

A wolf, a ligress, a tiger, a leopard, a snow leopard, a Komodo dragon, and a lion.

"Hey, it's Makucha and his gang!" Baliyo snarled.

Idan's eyes were far wider and more terrified than his companions.

"Kuzimu, Timora, and Shetani!"

"Wait, that's Shetani?… Then that means." Baliyo slowly looked back at the lion.

Back in the Tree of Life, Kion yawned as the morning sun reached the tree interior.

He slowly opened his eyes to see Rani's head still resting on his shoulder.

Kion gave a warm smile as he tried to ease his had back, not wanting to disturb her, especially with-

"Your majesty!" Kion grit his teeth as he heard the familiar squawk of Hana.

"Oh great." Kion sighed as he saw Rani open her own eyes in a weary manner.

"Is it too early for breakfast." She growled.

Rani moved her head to allow Kion up. The young King stretched his back while Hana landed before them.

"Apologies for waking you, my King and Queen. But Baliyo and the Night Pride request reinforcements! A stampede is trying to force its way inside the northern pass!"

Kion took a deep breath.

"Alright, we better get out there then."

"I've already woken the others. They're waiting for you outside."

Kion nodded before he turned back to Rani.

"I'll let you know if it's anything serious." Rani nodded before she laid back down.

Kion walked outside to see his King's Guard waiting for him. With them were his parents and Kopa's party.

Except for Ono and Anga, everyone else's expressions mirrored Kion's morning weariness.

"This better be important." Fuli growled.

"I'm ready in either case." Ono almost growled.

Kion and the others looked at the aggression in his face with concern.

"Ono, are you sure you're ok?" Kion asked cautiously.

"I'm fine, I'm just ready to get back to business."

"Me too." Anga hissed with a similar expression.

Their friends looked more than a little concerned for them. Still, Kion knew it would have to wait until they helped Baliyo.

"Where is this stampeded coming from anyway?" Jade growled.

"The North! We must hurry before-"

The ground violently shook as if an earthquake had struck. The tremors shook any morning fatigue out of the animals as their senses cried out to the north.

"What was that!?" Nala shouted.

Kopa looked to the north with a great amount of fear.

"No, that's impossible."

"Come on!" Kion roared. The tremors had woken Rani back up and she rushed out of the Tree. As Kion and his Guard raced north, they passed many animals who had been woken up by the tremors.

"What was that?"

"I thought the world was ending."

As Kion got further north, he began to see various animals running past them in fear.

"Run!"

"He's coming!"

"Huh?" Bunga said.

Kopa and his party felt dread fill their beings as they moved closer and closer to the border.

"Please, no." Talib groaned.

Finally, when they reached the pass entrance, Kion saw the Night Pride with over a dozen other animals on the ground. Large pieces of rock debris were spread out among them.

"Hevi Kabisa!"

"What could have done this?" Beshte almost stuttered in fear.

Kion rushed over Baliyo and nudged his head.

"Baliyo, Baliyo are you ok?"

"Not really." The Night Lion moaned.

"Baliyo!" Kion looked back to see Rani had come up behind them.

"Rani? What are you doing here!?"

"I felt that tremor! What happened here!?"

Rani nudged against Baliyo as he got up with a terrified expression.

"We need to run, now!"

"Run?" Fuli shook her head.

"It's him! He did this!" Kanda screamed.

"Who?" Bunga asked.

"No." Kopa felt his heart sink and his face turned white.

Kion and the others looked back at the pass entrance to see an approaching army. Dozens of the feral predators marched in with their leaders in front.

Kion recognized all of them except the lion.

Kopa and Simba weren't so ignorant.

"Radcliffe?" Simba said with a confused expression.

"Radcliffe, that's Radcliffe!?" Rani shouted.

Kion and Radcliffe exchanged stares. Kion's face was a mixture of fear, confusion, and uncertainty.

Radcliffe's face seemed calm but with a malevolent smile and sensation around him.

"Kion, so the King has come to greet me. I see there is courtesy in these lands after all. A royal welcome it would seem." Radcliffe examined all those before him meticulously.

"Simba? Is that you? This is an unexpected turn of events. Well well well, my would-be assassin and his friends." Kopa backed up with his tail tucked between his back legs.

Never had Kion or the others seen him so afraid.

Ono and Anga similarly shook. Both felt overwhelmed by the sight of their friend's killer before them.

"I'm sorry your spy couldn't join us. My soldiers require a lot of meat."

Rani snarled and charged ahead of the others. A fire lit in her eyes as she roared out at the intruders.

"Get out! You're not welcome here!"

Radcliffe looked upon the Queen with renewed interest.

"Queen Rani, yes it must be you. I've been told about your boldness." His smile widened.

"I always did like them feisty." Rani didn't hear the last bit and kept up her growl.

"Leave now!"

"King Radcliffe, you're violating the sovereignty of this Kingdom, you have no right to do this!" Simba roared as he came up beside Rani.

"I have every right. This Kingdom and every animal here now belongs to me."

Simba's eyes widened.

"You can't do that. You can't do that!?"

"I can. I take what I want, and I remove those in my way. I'm most appreciative for all of you coming here to greet me. You've made things so much simpler for me."

Kion came forward to confront Radcliffe. As he growled, the wind around them picked up.

"I'll give you one chance, submit or face the consequences."

Baliyo's eyes widened. Radcliffe's lieutenants began to laugh.

"What are they thinking? They've all seen the roar." Bunga said.

Kopa's heart pounded faster.

"No, it can't be true. It's only a myth!"

Radcliffe growled but kept his smile. The ground around them began to shake again.

"Kion look out!" Baliyo cried.

Kion didn't wait any longer and unleashed the roar of the elders. A tidal wave of kinetic power descended from the sky towards the invaders.

Radcliffe responded with his own roar. The same tremors from earlier returned and the ground violently shook until a red wave of telekinetic power erupted from the earth and clashed with Kion's.

"No way!" Fuli screamed.

Azaad and the others' eyes widened in unimaginable horror.

Simba and Nala felt their mouths drop and their bones shake.

"That's impossible!" Simba cried.

"What is this!?" Beshte cried.

"The dark roar, legend claims its power comes from the earth. The darkness of tyrants and monsters before feeding the power of one who is darker than them all. I didn't think it was true. I never imagined." Kopa continued to tremble.

Kion pushed his roar harder but couldn't make any progress against Radcliffe. The invading King roared louder and louder until Kion's roar dissipated.

Radcliffe charged forward alone and slammed his paw against Kion's face like a battering ram. Kion snarled in agony as he stumbled backward. Radcliffe didn't let up and furiously kept on his adversary.

"Kion!" Simba and Kopa both sprinted forward with the others but Radcliffe's lieutenants intercepted them.

A fierce melee broke out while the army of predators swarmed into the Kingdom itself.

Rani frantically tried to find Kion in the chaos but was instead pushed back by a familiar face.

"Come on!" Afia growled.

"I'm not-"

"Letting anything happen to your baby. This is no place for an expecting mother!" Afia growled firmly at Rani before she reluctantly followed.

"Ahhh!" Cadoc squawked as he watched the battle from above.

"This is a disaster! I must warn the Kingdom! No, I have to get the other Guards! Ahhh, what do I do!?"

Kion had managed to regain himself and fought back against Radcliffe. The invading King was faster, stronger, and more ruthless than any opponent Kion had ever fought before. Kion couldn't land a meaningful blow against him but took several himself.

"Come on, you're starting to bore me." Radcliffe growled.

Kion's fangs nearly cracked against each other. Kion lunged back Radcliffe with more ferocity.

Radcliffe still landed two more paw strikes against Kion and bit his side. But Kion responded by pummeling the invader's stomach with both paws. Radcliffe let go of Kion long enough for him to bed down on Radcliffe's left leg and throw him to the side.

Kion's victory was short-lived. Radcliffe almost immediately backhanded Kion with his left paw and brought him into a stumble.

Radcliffe arched his head back and roared once more. Kion was unable to summon his own roar and felt the tremors crash into him like a herd of wildebeest.

"Ahhhhh!" Kion cried as he was hurled through the air. He wasn't alone either.

Most of his companions found themselves lifted up and away by Radcliffe's roar.

"Not again!" Kanda screamed.

Kopa, however, wasn't hit. The lion continued to tremble as he stared at Kopa with pure fear in his eyes.

Radcliffe looked over at him and Kopa ran like a cub.

The invading lieutenants began to laugh.

"Not so courageous after all." Shetani growled.

"They're spread out now. Kill them before they can regroup. Above all, make sure Kion is killed."

"And you?" Timora asked.

Radcliffe smiled with his fangs showing.

"I'm going to collect my child-bearer."

Kion shook his head as he still felt disoriented.

"Wow, it's definitely not fun being on the other end of the roar." Bunga groaned as he got up beside Kion.

"Bunga! Kion!" The two turned to see Binga rush towards them. It was then, Kion realized they had landed in the wetlands.

"What happened? Are you ok?" Binga frantically put her arms around Bunga.

"Binga, we're under attack. It's Radcliffe."

"What!?" Binga began to tremble.

"Listen to me! You have to evacuate the animals here. Find Makini and get everyone to the vassal lands!" Kion had never heard Bunga speak so seriously before.

"But-"

"Binga! This is important, these predators will kill everyone in their path! You need to get them to safety!"

Binga slowly nodded.

"But what about you?" She asked before Bunga planted a kiss on her lips.

"We're going to stop them."

Binga looked back one more time before she ran off to evacuate the area.

"Kion!" The young King looked over and saw his parents rush towards them.

"Thank heavens, you're safe." Nala panted.

"No one's safe. Rani!"

"It's ok, I saw Afia get her away before the dark roar. We need to focus on stopping Radcliffe." Bunga growled.

"We're going to need help. We have to rally everyone who can fight and find the others. Come on!"

Elsewhere, Talib shook his head as he got up.

"I hope my horns are still attached. Is everyone ok?"

Talib saw he was in the savanna region with Beshte, Fuli, Obasi, Idan, Beskerm, and Ono.

"Not really." Idan groaned.

The others got up with similarly dazed looks.

"Hapana! Come on we can't just sit here!" Ono squawked.

"Hey, what's happening!?" The others looked to see Surak approach with Nirmala, their cubs, and a few other savanna animals.

"We're under attack! It's Radcliffe's army!"

"Radcliffe!"

Vala and Vadik both let out frightened whimpers as they retreated beneath their mother's legs.

Beskerm snarled.

"Ono's right, we need to regroup and end that tyrant!"

Surak's growl only got louder.

"I'm with you, Nirmala get the cubs somewhere safe." She nodded before putting them onto her back.

"Let's go!" two kudus followed her while another Night Lion, two Buffalo, and a Rhino followed Surak.

Vegter, Azaad, Kanda, Baliyo, and Anga all desperately fought off a group of feral predators near lake Pratimbimba.

The nearby animals desperately tried to get away but the feral beasts were relentless. Each of the Guardians did their best to try and hold off as many as they could, despite their enemies' resilience to pain and single-minded fanaticism.

Vegter pummeled any small predator in his path. The Tsavo's immense strength matched his powerful tenacity.

"Vegter fight you all if he must!"

"Anga Linga!" Anga flew in around him to fend off any that tried to flank him.

As Vegter hurled a striped hyena away in his jaws, another feral predator rushed in and blind-sided him. Anga was unable to help him due to another wild dog coming in from the other side.

Vegter grand as he felt the heavy blow of his new adversary. When Vegter got back up he saw a feral lioness facing him.

Vegter met her frown with his own before the two clashed hard.

Baliyo and Kanda breathed heavily. Both were already exhausted from their long night of patrolling. The current melee now drained everything they had left.

Azaad quickly picked up on this and tried to draw off as many feral predators as he could. But even he was becoming overwhelmed by their numbers and ferocity. The cheetah grunted in agony from each bite and claw strike against him.

As the minutes passed, Baliyo was knocked to his side by three feral hyenas. All of them swarmed their jaws at his neck and Baliyo gazed over at several of their subjects being caught by the feral predators.

Baliyo's eyes filled with dread and hopelessness. His legs wobbled and the hyenas descended on his neck.

"Twende Kiboko!"

Beshte rammed his large jaws into the hyenas and hurled them off Baliyo.

"Huwezi!" Anga similarly rushed in and beat back the predators that overwhelmed Azaad.

The air around Baliyo picked up and he soon felt his fur tingle from the thunderous power of Kion's roar.

All of the feral beasts who had reached an animal were thrown off by the young King. He rushed in not only with his parents and Bunga but many other protectors. Over a dozen other Barbary lions joined him with Night Lions, hyenas, polar bears, dire wolves, sun bears, snow leopards, and Rhinos.

Surak came in with the rest of Kopa's party and the King's Guard. They were similarly joined by two elephants, three tigers, and many buffalo.

"For the Tree of Life!" Ono squawked while flying above with a flock of birds.

Kion reached the nearest feral predator and for a moment hesitated as he thought about what Anga described to him. The thought passed as Kion mentally shook his head. Such distractions would get him killed. He had to focus on the battle.

A feral lion pounced forward but Kion came up from below. With a better position of leverage, Kion hurled his opponent onto the ground. The lion snapped his jaws up and flailed his claws forward.

Despite this, Kion managed to keep him pinned long enough to deliver a hard blow to his opponent's head. The strike knocked the lion out but Kion quickly picked up on more threats.

Two feral hyenas rushed at his back and the King turned to face them.

Simba and Nala kept close to Kion, focusing all their efforts on protecting him while the others began to push the feral predators back. Despite their single-minded tenacity, the Kingdom's defenders began to gain the edge.

Baliyo and the others were brought safely behind the defenders. Thus giving the two Night Lions a much-needed breather.

Kion felt more optimistic as he saw the feral beasts pushed further and further back.

"Get ready!" Kion cried. The young King prepared to unleash his roar of the elders until a familiar laugh filled his ears.

"That's disappointing, they regrouped already." Kuzimu laughed.

"It only makes it more interesting. Kill the King!" Timora snarled.

"There's two of them! That only makes it much more exciting!" Shetani laughed with lustful eyes.

Makucha, Ora, Chuluun joined them with most of the feral predator army.

Kion's eyes widened while the others felt their earlier hope fall like a rock.

Kion desperately tried to use the roar but was too late. The main Northern army descended upon their flank and practically swamped Kion's force.

The sheer weight of their impact made even breathing difficult for the Kingdom's defenders.

Bunga who could normally rely on his own tenacity found it almost impossible to do so while confined. His thick hide protected him from various scratches and bites but only so much.

Bunga began to feel the woe of claws and teeth piercing his skin. The honey badger longed to punish them back with his stench but remembered the effect it had on them and realized it would only hinder his allies.

Beshte's attempted to throw his body weight around proved fruitless in the tight space. The hippo could only groan in agony with the bites on his legs swarming like locust.

A nearby polar bear and rhino found themselves in the same situation as Beshte. Before long all three were pushed together.

Fuli and Azaad attempted to draw some of the predators away. In the sky, Anga and Ono attempted the same.

However, as Fuli ran she was sucked punched by a stone-like paw.

Fuli almost tasted blood in her mouth as she looked up and saw Timora over her.

"I've eaten hyenas, wild dogs, and leopards before. I've always wondered what cheetah tastes like." Fuli snarled as she got up and tried to claw Timora. Fuli was beaten back as if she were a child.

Fuli got up and tried again but found the same result. Timora's strength was far too immense for Fuli and she began to tremble in fear.

"Fuli!" Azaad tried to reach her but several predators got between him and Fuli.

Ono and Anga's eventually found they couldn't even swoop down to help. The sheer number of predators kept the birds back and their allies isolated.

Kion groaned in pain as he felt a hyena bite into his leg. Despite this, Kion kicked the hyena with his other leg until he was pried off.

Nala and Simba did their best to keep him from being overwhelmed but the swarm of predators forced them away. Kion was too confided to use his roar and was too isolated to take charge of his forces.

Kion breathed heavily as he gazed around his people on the verge of being overrun. His friends and parents were worn down. The Kingdom he had made his home, the place he swore to protect would soon be in the hands of a tyrant.

Kion's heart began to sink as he realized he would never see his child born. Nor know if they even survived. Kion almost felt his eyes tear up as he looked at the sky.

All the Kings of the past, his ancestors who had come before, all stared down at him. Kion could only imagine how disappointed they must have been.

"Well well well." A familiar voice reached Kion's ear.

He turned to see Makucha, Chuluun, and Ora circle him with cruel gazes.

"Not so big and strong now are you." Ora hissed.

"Looks like we get to sack this place after all. Revenge is sweet." Chuluun growled.

"When we bring Radcliffe your head, who knows how he'll reward us." Makucha snarled.

Kion snarled back with grim determination.

If this was to be his end he would-

The battle was interrupted by three roars that echoed like trumpet blasts.

Most in the battle gazed up at the hillsides over them. There they saw Cadoc standing on the hill as Rune came forward.

Beside Rune came Advik and then Mungo. All three looked down with determination and resolve.

But they weren't alone. The Island Guard, Tundra Guard, and Jungle Guard all formed up behind their leaders. With the Guards were more predators and large herbivores from each of their lands.

"For the King! For the Queen! For our Kingdom and our people!" Rune roared with Mungo and Advik.

Kion's eyes lit up and he began to laugh.

"Aww, come on!" Chuluun groaned.

"Aww yeah, Zuka Zama!" Bunga began to jump up and down. The relief force crashed into the back of the invading force like a tsunami wave. The feral predators quickly turned their attention to the approaching forces.

Kion immediately seized this opportunity and pounced Makucha into the ground. Ora attempted to snap his jaws around the King's neck but Kion dodged the strike and instead bit down on Ora's neck.

With his immense strength, Kion hurled the Komodo dragon into Chuluun before she could react. Makucha tried to get up but was slammed to the side by Kion's paw.

All three quickly retreated as Kion's optimism soared.

"For the Kingdom!" Kion quickly rallied his weary defenders and pushed them back against the invaders.

Bunga saw Anga and Ono overhead. Ono directed scattered defenders back into the formation while Anga swooped in to try and disrupt the invaders' ranks.

"Anga! Let me at em!" Anga smiled as she flew down and picked up Bunga in her talons.

"I almost feel sorry for them!" Anga laughed as she let Bunga down onto a feral leopard.

"Zuka Zama!" Bunga began furiously claws and biting at the heads of various feral predators. The honey badger now had the room to jump across their confined heads.

"Twende Kiboko!" Beshte huffed as he tried to ram through a thicker section of predators.

"Twende Kiboko!" Beshte's ears twitched as he looks over and saw Bellezza among Mungo's guardians. The female hippo crashed into the same formation and their combined might caused the beasts to scatter.

The two smiled at each other before noticing the polar bear and rhino beside Beshte go past them.

Both hippos gave a sheepish nod and rejoined the fight.

Talib huffed as he and Obasi led a charge of rhinos and buffalo into the invader's right. Scattering them just like the hippos.

Fuli tried to run from Timora but the ligress slammed her into the ground like a boulder.

Fuli's eyes widened as she saw Timora's fangs over her. The ligress came down to bite, only to get more than a mouthful.

Jade snarled as she slammed into Timora's side and hurled her back.

"Why don't you mess with someone your own size." The Tsavo lioness growled.

Timora turned her aggression onto Jade and clashed with her. Despite being much larger and stronger than Fuli. Jade soon found herself on the losing end of her battle.

Timora beat Jade's strikes back and knocked her head away. It wasn't easy but Timora kept her opponent back until she felt a sharp pain in her legs.

Fuli had gotten back up and furiously clawed the ligress's back legs.

Timora snarled before Jade slammed her right paw across Timora's face.

The lioness now pressed her attack but didn't do it alone. Jade used her strength to hold Timora in place while Fuli wore the ligress down with quick attacks.

Timora cried out in frustration before both her opponents lunged forward together and hurled her onto the ground.

"Nice work." Jade said with a smile.

"Not half-bad yourself."

Meanwhile, Shetani hurled a wild dog away and pinned a hyena down.

The hyena desperately threw his legs around as he saw Shetani's wicked expression over him.

"I don't think so!" Shetani only got a mouthful of paw and stumbled away.

When he looked back, he saw Surak snarling at him.

"You think you can threaten my children and get away with it!"

Shetani laughed.

"I'll be sure to find them when we're done. I may even let you watch!"

The lion and tiger clashed into a fiery melee. Both mercilessly clawing and biting at each other.

Kuzimu furiously looked for Kion with two feral hyenas beside him.

"Where is he!?" The wolf snarled.

However, his path soon became blocked by a white tiger and a Tsavo lion.

"I was hoping I'd find you, Kuzimu." Advik snarled while Beskerm backed him up.

"You nearly destroyed my home! Now it's payback time!"

Beskerm quickly lunged forward to fight off the hyenas and let Advik fight off Kuzimu.

Despite being larger than the wolf, Advik found himself in a desperate fight. Kuzimu's strength was perplexing.

Even so, the white tiger let loose all his raw emotions like a flamethrower and brought them to bear against Kuzimu.

Kion's army was now properly organized with him at the front. Rune, Mungo, and the rest of the King's Guard formed up beside Kion as he threw back multiple predators.

A fire had lit in the Kion's stomach and he was ready to unleash it.

Kion arched his head back and then brought forth his roar.

The defenders chanted in excitement as they saw the kings of old join Kion from the sky.

Their roars crashed into the sea of feral beasts and scattered them all about.

"Attack!" Simba roared.

The still organized defenders dashed forward and pushed the scattered invaders closer to the border.

Kion was about to join them when his eyes widened in horror. His roar had gone unopposed, Radcliffe wasn't there.

That could only mean one thing.

"Rani!"

"Go, we've got this!" Bunga shouted.

Kion nodded and dashed off with his parents close behind.

Talib and Obasi laughed as the battle turned in their favor. That was until Talib looked around again.

"Wait a minute, where's Kopa?"

Elsewhere, Kopa hid in the brush.

The lion continued trembled as he carefully peeked out in fear of Radcliffe.

For a moment, Kopa thought he was safe and exhaled. That was until he ground shook. Kopa's face returned to dread as he saw a group of local animals scatter from the roar. Kopa covered his eyes and laid down hoping he wouldn't be seen.

"Come on Rani! He's right behind us!" Kopa opened his eyes again and looked back beyond the brush.

He now saw Afia and Rani running from Radcliffe. The dark-king closed his distance between them and a new dread-filled Kopa's face.

Rani's fatigue had now sapped most of her strength. Afia led them up a hillside and pushed Rani up.

"Rani, please you have to-"

Afia was knocked down by Radcliffe's paw-strike and then hurled away but his jaws.

Rani tried to run again but Radcliffe caught up with her and clawed both her back legs.

The queen snarled in pain before she collapsed onto her side.

Rani attempted to get back up. However, the fatigue only made her injuries worse. Her efforts were dashed by Radcliffe, who now placed his right paw on her back. Pinning her to the ground.

Rani snapped her jaws at him in defiance but Radcliffe snarled back with a fiery expression that made even Rani go pale.

A malevolent smile emerged on Radcliffe's face and he slowly inhaled.

"Tsk tsk tsk, don't try anything else, my dear. I wouldn't want to damage annoying important to me."

Rani tried to resume her defiant look.

"I will never be your Queen!" She growled.

"Queen? Who said anything about that? No, no, no my dear. You come from an illustrious bloodline. One worthy of my own. However, I rule alone. You will provide me with suitable heirs. As many as I please."

Rani's face turned to one of unimaginable terror. Her body shook as if it were freezing.

"Once we're done here, I shall endeavor to." Radcliffe stopped when he noticed the fear in her eyes. He recognized the fear, the same fear he had seen in all of his unworthy breeders. It wasn't fear for herself.

Radcliffe looked down at Rani's stomach.

"Ahhh, that's it. I see your womb is already occupied. How inconvenient. No worries, I can correct this problem."

"What!?"

Radcliffe nodded.

"I have mastered my dark-roar, dear. You'd be amazed at what I can do with it. Including clearing up space for my future cubs."

"No!"

Radcliffe stepped back to give himself room.

Rani furiously tried to get up but Radcliffe simply came back and shoved her into the grass.

"Hold still!" He snarled.

"No! Please! I'm begging you! Take the Kingdom, take anything but please not my baby!" Rani choked on her own tears as they streamed down her trembling face.

Radcliffe arched his head back and Rani buried her face in the grass.

"Grauuu!" Kopa slammed into Radcliffe harder than even Obasi could have. In the same motion, Kopa crashed both paws against Radcliffe and brought him into a stumble.

Rani and Radcliffe opened their eyes to see Kopa between them. Kopa's fiery expression was like nothing Radcliffe had ever seen.

"Get away from my Queen, you filth!"

Radcliffe began to laugh.

"You never learn do you?"

All of Kopa's fear had vanished and he breathed heavily.

"I will die before I let you hurt Rani or her cub!"

Radcliffe smiled.

"Yes, you will!"

The two lions clashed in a melee more violent than Rani had ever seen.

Neither held anything back. Their fangs and claws were unleashed in their purest form like a fiery tornado of fury. Rani tried to get up but her leg injuries kept her down. She could only watch as the two lions battled.

To Rani's horror, Kopa was beaten back again and again. The King mercilessly sunk his claws and fangs deeper into his opponent. More and more Kopa began to resemble how he appeared when Rani first met him.

Despite the agony he was in, Kopa continued to fight on. His pain weighed him down but the lion wouldn't give up. Still, Kopa realized the hopelessness of his situation. Soon his body would give out and Radcliffe would go for Rani. No matter how determined he was, the results would be the same. Unless.

Kopa lunged up and intentionally exposed his throat. Radcliffe seized the opportunity and snapped his jaws around Kopa's face.

"No!" Rani wailed. Kopa's body seized up for a moment.

Kopa's eyes clenched like his teeth but it wasn't the end. Using every bit of strength he had left, Kopa slammed his claws across Radcliffe's face.

"Ghaaaaahh!" The king cried out in pain he had never known before.

He let go of Kopa and almost appeared to be enduring a seizure.

Kopa went still on the ground beside Rani. The Queen still felt her tears stream down as she looked at her protector.

"Ghaaaaaaah!" Radcliffe opened his eyes with a feral gaze and turned to Rani.

He arched his head back and prepared to roar.

"Grauuuuh!" Kion rammed into Radcliffe with all his might. The dark-king stumbled again, unable to stop Kion from mauling his face and body with feral claw-strikes and bites.

After a final blow, Kion brought his head back and felt the wind pick up around him.

With a final roar, Kion brought his power upon Radcliffe. The dark-king desperately tried to muster his own roar but was too disoriented from the injuries. Despite resisting for a few moments, the roar enveloped Radcliffe and hurled him far from the Kingdom.

Kion continued the roar and extended its power to the rest of the invaders.

Bunga and the others cheered in excitement as they saw their foes swept up. Any that weren't ran away from the way they came.

"Zuka Zama! We did it!" Rune let out a victorious roar and was joined by the other predators.

Kion's Guard quickly embraced each other while Baliyo's did the same.

Ono lowered his head for a moment but then gave a slight smile.

"That was, intense." Anga panted.

"Is everyone ok?" Azaad asked while specifically looking at Fuli.

"I'm alright."

"We should find Kion and Rani." Beshte huffed.

Talib, Obasi, Jade, and Beskerm were nearby. Each of them nodded in agreement.

"Kopa too, Vegter come on let's-" Jade stopped when she saw Vegter wasn't finished.

The Tsavo had the same feral lioness he had been fighting earlier pinned down.

Despite being alone. The lioness still snapped her jaws at Vegter and tried desperately to get free.

The others stared closely at her.

"Vegter, you, you caught one." Beshte almost stuttered.

Vegter panted heavily as he looked down.

Bellezza rushed forward with an excited expression.

"This is great! Makini, Nirmala and I can examine her. Maybe even fix her mind." Vegter gave a look of concern for the lioness as she continued to snarl at him.

"Vegter's friends will help you."

Kion let out a long exhale as he saw Radcliffe soar away. For a brief moment, he felt at ease until his mind snapped back.

"Rani!" he sprinted over to his mate so fast even Fuli would be impressed.

When Kion reached her, both lions had tears in their eyes.

"Rani." He said softly. Rani's face finally held a smile again as she looked up at her mate's face.

"Rani." Kion sobbed. He nuzzled her for what felt like an eternity. Neither lion ever realizing they could have felt so afraid or so relieved.

"Rani, the baby-"

"They're ok. Kopa saved us both….. Kopa!"

Both now turned to Kopa as he lay on the ground. He appeared worse than the first night they saw him. But despite this, Kopa smiled and let out a soft sound of relief.

"Kopa." Kion and Rani continued their sob.

Simba and Nala arrived in time to see Kopa on the ground. Their faces became filled with horror.

"Dad, mom, help! We have to get him to the Tree of Life!" Kion pleaded. His eyes had become so filled with tears he could hardly see.

Simba and Nala lowered their heads.

"Come on! We have to save him!"

"Kion." Kopa said softly.

The young King and Queen turned back to him.

"Rani is safe, your cub is safe, this Kingdom is safe. That's more than I could have ever asked for."

Kion broke down and brought his head to Kopa's.

He didn't seem to be in pain, he looked to be at peace.

"I've always wanted to help others. But I've only been able to do so by killing, by frightening, by manipulating. For once, I've saved someone else. Someone I truly care for." Kopa looked up at Kion and Rani.

"You're both so noble, and just. I'm glad I could die for you both and your cub. I'm glad I could die in a place as wonderful as this. Simba." Kion's father slowly came over Kopa.

Kopa let out a single tear.

"When you return home, tell Zuri. Tell her I'm sorry I couldn't come home, that I couldn't see her again. Tell Zuri her father died a noble death, that he died saving those he loved."

Simba felt his own eyes grow wet.

"I'll tell her."

Kopa looked back at the sky one more time.

"Life is so precious. This kingdom is life and you are its King." Kopa's eyes closed and his body became peaceful.

Kion and Rani nudged their heads against each other. Both became lost in their tears and sorrow.

Nala came up beside Simba and nuzzled her head against his.

That evening, the entire Kingdom gathered around the Tree of Life.

Kopa's body had been laid out in the same spot Queen Janna's had been.

A uniform look of mourning filled the faces of the average subject and Guardian. But for the King's Guard and Kopa's companions it was too much to bear.

Kion and Rani came up first. Both had a flew in their mouths and carefully placed on Kopa's body.

Makini stood over Kopa's body with her staff held over him.

When Kion and Rani passed, Kopa's companions came up next.

Each of them teared up like their King and Queen. Perhaps even more so.

Obasi came up first. The rhino trembled in pain before placing his flower down.

Talib tried to fight back his tears but couldn't hope to succeed.

"You were my brother Kopa. Be at peace with Dakarai."

Beskerm had to support Jade as they came over Kopa's body.

Neither could bear to look at him but fought through their pain and put the flowers down.

"We'll do everything we can, to preserve what you fought for." Beskerm sobbed.

Vegter finally came forward and put his flower down.

"Venter will miss you. But Vegter will never stop protecting King and Queen. Venter will live for you."

When Vegter passed, the King's Guard came up and placed their flowers down.

"…I'm sorry I didn't trust you at first. You were unbunga-, no you were unbelievable." Bunga had to be held up by Binga as he covered his eyes.

Azaad and Fuli carefully put their own flowers down.

"….I never had a family before Kion and the Guard. You became part of that family." Fuli fought back her own tears.

Anga and Ono came next with Beshte beside them.

"…..Keep Ullu company. Tell her I'm sorry."

Any and Beshte similarly placed their own flowers down.

Finally, Simba and Nala came up. Nala placed her flower down first but Simba almost looked too pained to do it.

He closed his eyes in pain.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry I took your family from you." Simba began to choke on his own guilt. Nala eased Simba's head down and helped him release the flower.

Baliyo and the Night Pride followed them. Then Surak, Nirmala, and their cubs.

One by one, the Kingdom's inhabitants came forward to put a flower over Kopa.

Kion and Rani watched this with tears still in their eyes.

But even as the sun began to set, both saw a light shine down on them.

The light emerged not through but from a cloud, one that looked familiar to Kion.

This light shined on Rani, more specifically her stomach and the life that grew within.

Kion and Rani slowly smiled before Kion nuzzled his mate's stomach. He could feel the pulse of the cub inside. Their cub, their child. Kopa was gone but he hadn't died in vain. Kion and Rani's child would live, because of Kopa.

Author's note

Rest in peace Kopa, yes I had intended this death for Kopa from the start

However, he died for those he loved and for him that is the best death he could have asked for.

Kion and Rani's child is safe but Radcliffe isn't done yet, nor is the story

So until next time,

Please review, comment, suggest or ask(VIA PM)


	10. Chapter 10: Crusade

Kion stood alone on the edge of a cliffside that overlooked a massive canyon beyond the northwestern border.

The young King took a deep breath before he arched back and unleashed another roar. The sky erupted into a series of telekinetic columns. Each column moved just as Kion wanted and crashed into five stone towers.

The five towers collapsed into loose stone and Kion panted for a moment. He had been training since dawn once again.

Kion closed his eyes for a moment and relaxed his muscles. When Kion opened his eyes again, he brought forth another roar. This time it came as a tsunami wave that almost flattened the canyons remaining rocks.

With this Kion panted again and gazed at the canyon's dwindling among of rocks. After so many training sessions, Kion had nearly depleted the canyon's supply.

Despite this, Kion couldn't throw off his drive to keep perfecting the roar. The King looked up at the sky again and noticed something interesting.

"Your majesty! Your majesty!" Cadoc frantically squawked as he descended upon the rock ledge.

Kion hadn't seen Cadoc so worked up since the invasion.

"Cadoc, what's happening!?"

When Kion heard the answer his eyes widened and he sprinted back into the Kingdom with Cadoc close behind.

Baliyo sprinted towards the tree of life with the King's Guard close behind.

Each seemed held a look of pure determination as they sprinted forward towards the Tree.

"Come on! Come on!" Baliyo huffed as he tried to keep up his pace despite a long night of patrolling.

Finally, they reached the tree and almost got bottlenecked trying to get in.

"Let me see!" Bunga shouted.

"No way! I'm first!" Baliyo growled as he pushed Bunga aside and raced towards the stone slab.

Baliyo stopped just before the slap and went still.

The others reached Baliyo and looked out in front of them.

Makini and Nirmala both stood just to the side of the stone. Makini held her mouth as if she were trying to hold in her emotions. Nirmala simply smiled like a proud mother.

On the stone, itself were Kion and Rani. Kion stood over Rani while she rested on her stomach. In between her front legs rested something else, a very small cub.

Baliyo nearly trembled as he gazed upon the cub. The infant's fur was a pure mix of Kion and Rani's it was darker than Kion's golden fur but not quite as dark as Rani's brown fur. Coming off as a lighter-tannish brown. The infant's earlobes had darker brown fur lining them and atop his head was a small scruff of darker brown fur that would one day become his mane. The cub's eyes were like his fur, a mix of Kion and Rani's own eye colors.

Rather than being light red or dark brown they came off in between.

Kion and Rani were on the verge of tears as they stared down at their cub. Rani finally understood what Nala said. Never could she have imagined feeling so much love and passion for anything.

Rani slowly licked her cub while Kion came close and nuzzled her head.

None of the others could even muster words. Each simply stared with overwhelmingly passionate expressions.

For Ono and Anga, seeing the cub lifted away clouds that had long dwelled over them. In Ono's heart, he could almost feel the goodness of the world again. For the first time since the Northern Kingdom, he truly felt happy again.

Rani moved her head back and let Kion nuzzled his son. As he did this, Rani looked up at Baliyo and smiled.

Baliyo saw his sister motion him forward but he was too nervous.

Beshte encouraged the lion with a nudge and Baliyo carefully lowered his head.

Once low enough, Baliyo saw his nephew reach out with his little paws. When they touched Baliyo's nose he felt a sincere warmth from them and began to emulate Kion and Rani's expressions much closer.

"My turn!" Bunga rushed forward followed by the others. Each became extremely careful as they took their turns greeting the newborn cub.

An hour later, most of the Kingdom had gathered around the Tree of Life, including the rest of the Night Pride, Kopa's companions, and the council of nobles.

From the tree, Baliyo, Nirmala and the King's Guard emerged first.

Rune, Advik, and George were in front of the crowd. Beside them were Kopa's companions, Surak and his cubs.

Each eagerly waited until finally, their rulers emerged. Kion and Rani stared out at their subjects with a happiness none of them had ever seen on the monarchs.

Between them came Makini. The mandril very-carefully held a small cub in her arms. When she reached the rocky hilltop by the tree's entrance, Makini lifted the cub up and presented him to the Kingdom.

A series of excited roars and various other sounds broke out before the animals bowed their heads.

A light shined down from the heavens above and illuminated the cub even more so.

Kion looked up at this light but perhaps more so at who stared down from it.

Rani glanced over at Kion for a moment.

"Are we still in agreement on his name?"

Kion nodded.

Makini heard this and smiled wider.

"Hail prince Kopa!"

"Hail!"

Four weeks later, Kopa was just outside the Tree of Life and wrestled with another male lion cub. The cub was slightly older and larger than Kopa. His fur wasn't quite as tan as Kopa's but his eyes were just browner. Atop the cub's head was a hint of black mane-hair.

The black-haired cub managed to pin Kopa down and let out a playful growl.

Only a few feet away were Kion and Rani. Beside them were Simba, Nala, Kiara, and Kovu.

"Mufasa, be gentle with your cousin." Kiara reminded her cub. However, he didn't listen. Kopa forced himself up and the two playfully bit each other while continuing their power struggle.

Once again, Mufasa got Kopa onto his back and growled.

"Alright, I think you've had enough fun." Kiara got up and snatched her son in her jaws.

The cub resisted fiercely but to no avail and was carried back before being firmly placed in his mother's lap.

Kopa came back overlooking slightly disappointed that he couldn't beat his cousin. However, Kopa soon got encouragement from a pair of warm nuzzles and licks from his grandparents.

"Papa." Kopa said as Simba nuzzled him.

"Grandpa." Simba corrected.

"Papa."

"Grandpa."

"Papa."

"Come on, it's grandpa." The others began to laugh, especially Kion and Rani.

Eventually, Kopa reached Rani who placed him in her own lap before nuzzling him with Kion.

Simba and Nala gazed at their children and their grandchildren. Despite everything that had happened five months prior, it had all worked out. Never had their family been so large or so happy.

"So, still no sign of Radcliffe?" Kovu asked.

Kion shook his head.

"No. But the poachers and territorial herds haven't decreased either." Kion said cautiously.

"You don't think he'll try again, do you? It's been almost five months." Kiara nervously asked.

Rani gazed intensely at Kopa.

"I saw what Kopa did to his face, it cost him his life but it was effective. Without the Tree of Life, it will have taken Radcliffe a while to recover. He doesn't seem like the kind of person who would just give up."

Rani held Kopa tighter and almost covered him with her head.

"What about things at Pride Rock?" Kion asked.

"They're well enough. Not much of the ordinary really."

Kion's expression changed slightly.

"And Vitani?"

Kovu's expression turned slightly evasive and guilty.

"She's uh, doing fine, her and the Guard."

"We were actually wondering if maybe you'd consider letting her-" Kiara started.

"No." Rani spoke firmly and with just enough volume to make her point clear to Kiara.

"Kopa hasn't been mischevious has he?" Simba asked.

Kion shook his head.

"Not really, he has a lot of Guardians to look after him."

Kion looked out at the surrounding land and spotted a few members of his Guard in the distance.

"Vegter! Uncle Vegter!" Kopa called out. The adults turned to see Vegter enter the Tree of Life with a concerned expression.

"Is he still checking up on her?" Rani asked.

Kion nodded.

"He seems very concerned about her condition."

"Who?" Kiara asked.

"The feral lioness we took prisoner after the battle. Bellezza, Nirmala, and Makini have been looking at her for months hoping to reverse whatever Radcliffe did to her." Rani said.

"Have they?" Kovu asked with a very interested look.

Kion and Rani didn't seem too optimistic as they turned back to the tree.

Vegter entered the Tree interior and heard heavy breathing. The Tsavo male carefully approached Makini as she stood over the lioness who was wrapped in glowing vines.

The lioness's ravenous mannerisms were gone. In their place were fear, confusion, and angst. The lioness whimpered unintelligible cries of terror while her body shook.

"Calm down, please, you're safe." Makini tried to massage the lioness and relax her. Despite this, the lioness continued to tremble.

Makini sighed until she saw Vegter approach.

"Oh, morning Vegter."

The lion's expression became harder as he saw the lioness before him.

"Lioness still frightened."

Makini nodded.

"I've tried everything I can think of. I don't know if we'll ever help her have a functional life."

Vegter took a deep breathed before gazing closer at the lioness.

"Can Vegter have a moment with her?" Makini cautiously looked back at the lioness before she nodded.

"I'll be close by if you need me."

Vegter brought his head closer to the lioness with a compassionate look.

"Vegter is Vegter's name. Venter can see lioness is scared. Lioness not been away from her master for so long has she." The lioness only continued to tremble.

"Vegter knows what happened to lioness. Lioness was taken as a cub by Radcliffe, tortured until she become mindless slave. Lioness doesn't even remember her name." Pain began to rack across Vegter's face.

"Vegter knows how lioness feels. When Vegter was a cub in land called Tsavo, Vegter lose his parents when Vegter was a cub." A tear emerged from Vegter's left eye.

"Vegter not remember much, only that bigger lion try to kill Vegter but Vegter's father try to stop him. Vegter's father die and then Vegter's mother when she do the same. Vegter run away, Vegter was alone for years. No other lions or predators, just Vegter, Vegter forget his name, forget how to speak. Vegter only think about one thing, survival."

Vegter's expression changed slightly.

"That until Vegter is found by another lion. Kopa see's Vegter not as mindless beast but as one who needed help. Kopa take Vegter in, he care for Vegter and teach Vegter how to speak again." Vegter let out a cherished smile but with more tears.

"Kopa became Vegter's new family. Vegter finally remember Vegter's name, Vegter will never forget it again." The lioness finally looked up at Vegter.

"Vegter knows lioness is scared. Vegter knows how lioness feels but lioness is with those who care for her. Radcliffe cannot hurt or frighten lioness anymore. Does lioness remember her name?"

The lioness continued to tremble but continued to look up at Vegter.

"….Jane, lioness's name is Jane." Vegter gave a warm smile and nuzzled his head against her's.

"Vegter is happy to meet Jane."

Back outside, both lioness mothers allowed Simba and Nala to have a turn with the cubs.

Nala nearly gave Mufasa a bath with her thorough licking. Much to the cub's displeasure.

"He's worse than you were as a cub." Nala chuckled to Simba as he kept Kopa close. Simba licked the cub's stomach in a manner that made Kopa cry out gleefully.

"Papa that tickles!"

"Come on, grandpa."

"That's right Kopa. Remember, papa has the scar." Kion glanced over at Rani who continued to laugh.

"So does mama." Rani showed her own much less visible scar under her left leg.

Kovu now laughed as he stroked his own scar.

"So many scarred lions in this family. If only one hadn't made it a pariah." Kiara now smiled.

"You may look like him but you act nothing like him." Kiara purred as she nuzzled her mate.

"Kiara…Zuri didn't want to come." Kion asked almost quietly.

Kiara, Kovu, Nala, and Simba all slowly sighed.

"She said she'd rather not."

Kion and Rani felt a bit of their inner pain return. Their son's birth had helped them move on from Kopa's death but they would never forget him or what he did.

"Kopa hadn't been part of her life since she was a cub. I think she should have come but I understand why she didn't."

Rani nodded.

"Kopa wasn't a bad lion. He was misunderstood. Once you really got to know who he was." Rani almost teared up again.

Despite all his trouble with Kopa, Simba couldn't hold any ill feelings for him anymore. For better or worse Kopa made his son's Kingdom strong enough to hold off Radcliffe. But more importantly, Kopa gave his life to save Rani and his grandson.

Simba held Kopa even closer.

Later that evening, Kion was in the savanna region with Kopa, his Guard, and Kopa's companions.

"Come on, that tickles!" Bunga laughed almost uncontrollable as Kopa wrestled with him. The cub's little fangs and claws playfully going against his thick hide.

"Go easy on uncle Bunga. Kid's are his greatest weakness." Kion chuckled.

"Alright, it's my turn." Fuli almost growled as she pulled Kopa back and rubbed her paw against his head.

"Your mom says you're pretty fast for a cub. I don't know if I believe her."

"I am!" Kopa sprinted around Fuli as fast as he could. The cheetah watched him with warm expression the others had almost never seen her give before.

"That's not bad." Fuli carefully pounced onto Kopa and nudged her head against his.

Azaad slowly chuckled.

"Be careful Fuli, you start to like cubs." Fuli quickly turned back to him.

"Don't get any bright ideas."

Beshte got his turn with Kopa and let the cub ride on top of his back.

Finally Anga and Ono had their time with the cub.

"Why is your fur different?" Kopa asked as he felt Anga's wings.

The eagle smiled.

"They're feathers."

"Feathers?"

"Yeah." With a quick snap of her beak, Anga picked one of Ono's feathers. The egret yelped in pain and Anga showed the feather to Kopa.

Ono glared at Anga for a moment but then came closer.

Ono's expression held a warm sincerity to it. One he had so longed to feel again.

Anga and the others saw this as well. Since Kopa had been born, Ono had been much more at peace with Ullu's death. The young prince had indeed become a symbol of hope and levity after Radcliffe's invasion.

Jade, Beskerm, Obasi, and Talib similarly had a chance to bond with Kopa.

"Well, he definitely has Kopa's spirit." Jade chuckled as Kopa tried to wrestle with her paw.

"Where's Vegter, he should be here too?" Talib huffed.

"He's with that Lioness he captured again. He seems committed to seeing her get better." Beskerm said.

Talib nodded.

"If her mind could be healed, maybe all of the feral beasts' could be." Talib huffed with more optimism especially as Kopa purred beside him.

When the stars came out, Kion was now alone with his son. The little prince playfully tried to nip at his father's head while Kion wrestled him to the ground each time. The young King laughed with a passionate expression while he played with his son.

His sense of time became lost and stars began to fill the skies. Eventually, Kopa rested on top of his father's thick mane and stared out at the sky with him.

"Papa, why do you and uncle Kovu have lines over your eyes?"

Kion chuckled.

"They're scars, wounds that don't go away."

"How did you get them?"

"Well, uncle Kovu's mother gave him his, a snake gave me mine."

"What happened to the snake?"

"Uncle Bunga threw him into a volcano."

"Did he get burned?"

"…..Yes."

"Papa, your friends were talking about me, they said I went away."

Kion took a deep breath and nodded.

"They weren't talking about you. They were talking about another Kopa, the one you were named after."

"Was he mama's papa? Like cousin Mufasa?"

Kion shook his head.

"No, but he was someone very close to us both. It's because of him you're here, and mama too. I miss him, a lot."

Kopa looked down at his father's painful expression and nudged against him.

"Where is he now?" Kion forced a smile. He aimed his head and Kopa up at the stars.

"When I was a cub, your grandpa told me that the lights in the sky are the great kings of old watching us. Your grandpa's papa, your mother's papa, and mama, and her grandma. But it's not just king's up there, all noble lions. Kopa is watching us with them." Kopa looked up and tried to reach for the stars only to fall off his father's head and land in the grass.

"Ooh." Kopa grunted while his father laughed. Kion came down and nuzzled Kopa's stomach for a minute.

Later that night, Kion and Kopa were back inside the Tree of Life. Kopa struggled to keep his eyes open while he laid down in Rani's lap. Rani sang a gentle lullaby to Kopa until finally, his eyes closed and he fell asleep.

Rani lowered her head and gently licked his head again while Kion watched closely from beside Rani.

The young King took a deep breath before he looked back at Rani with a conflicted expression.

"Rani, we've been putting this off. But I can't stop thinking about it and we need to make a decision." Rani's expression became similar to Kion's as she took a deep breath.

"The Crusade Kopa wanted us to embark upon. I've been thinking about it too."

Kion began to pace in front of his family.

"I'd like to think that Radcliffe isn't coming back. It's been five months and things are back to what they were before his invasion. He has to have been healed by now." Rani reluctantly nodded before her face turned feral.

"If he does come back, there won't be a cub in my belly to keep me from ripping him apart." Kion chuckled a little while nodding.

"I'd pity him if he tried. But we have to think about more than just the kingdom. He wanted you too, that means." Rani nearly shook when she looked back at Kopa.

"He might never come back though. Even if he does, we beat him once we could do it again. But-"

"But what about the other lands. Lands ravaged by his poachers, cubs stolen to become slaves…Or worse, if he decides to take another kingdom like he tried to take ours." Rani admitted.

"My father and your grandmother always said a ruler's duty is to protect their land. Kopa didn't think that way, he thought a good ruler was willing to help lands beside his own." Kion took another deep breath.

"But in the end, Kopa would have wanted us to rule any lands we helped." Rani nodded.

"You have a point. Even if we did remove Radcliffe, who would run the land. Deposing a tyrant and then leaving without someone to take charge could only make things worse." Rani looked harder at their son.

"I loved Kopa but we can't rule everything. It's not right."

Kion nodded.

"You're right, there have to be limits. But what if we just leave Kopa and he takes another kingdom. What if he has a cub who becomes just like him or worse, one with the dark roar." Rani nearly trembled at the thought.

Those moments where she was at Radcliffe's mercy had been the scariest of her life. Picturing another lioness enduring what he intended was too much.

"That's it then. He has to be stopped, we have to call forth a Crusade."

Kion's expression became one of grim-determination.

"I'll call forth the Guards and ask for volunteers. They swore to help us defend the Kingdom, we can't compel them to go on Crusade with us." Rani nodded.

"What if they do agree?"

"One of us has to stay here, watch Kopa and protect the Kingdom from threats inside and outside." Rani nodded again.

"You're right if something goes wrong. Kopa can't lose us both….." Rani slowly looked back at Kion who nodded.

"It has to be me. The roar is the only thing that can stop his power." Rani reluctantly nodded.

"You shouldn't have to go alone. We should be deposing him together….But we can't leave the Kingdom or Kopa alone." Kion gave Rani a very warm and passionate nuzzle.

"I won't leave our son fatherless, I promise to return." Rani felt a tear in her eyes as she nuzzled Kion back.

The following morning, Kion assembled his Guard, the other Guards and any animal who was eligible to volunteer as a guardian.

Kion's family was also there with anxious expressions.

Kion and Rani both looked equally serious as they stood over their subjects.

"For almost a year our home has been the victim of Radcliffe's machinations! His poachers have driven our lands to the verge of collapse and murdered countless of us!" Rani roared.

Advik snapped his jaws with anger as he thought back to Kuzimu. His Tundra Guard did the same.

"Five months ago, one of his lieutenants infiltrated this Kingdom and murdered our friends, our family. Then the tyrant himself brought his slave soldiers to us. Victims like Jane who were stolen as cubs and tortured into obedient tools for his malice!" Kion snarled as he emphasized Jane.

The lioness still trembled while Makini and Vegter tried to keep her calm.

More animals let outcries of anger and vengeance.

"The tyrant tried to kill my unborn child and take me as his slave! He hasn't returned here but his evil still weighs us down every day!"

Kion stepped forward.

"We call upon you to follow me on a noble crusade! Our crusade will have one objective, depose Radcliffe and restore prosperity to the Northern Kingdom! Save other lands from suffering what we almost suffered!"

Many cheered louder while others looked more hesitant.

Kiara, Nala, and Simba stared with great concern. Kovu, on the other hand, felt his interest rise.

Rune looked quite uneasy about Kion's proposition.

"All of you are sworn to defend our home. As such, we would never compel you to join us if you do not wish to. But know this, Radcliffe tried to take our home, take our children as slaves, and turn our land into his paradise. Sometimes, defending what you love means traveling far to do it."

Jade and Beskerm rushed in front of the crowd.

"All of you are here because of the King and Queen!" Beskerm snarled.

"You may stay if you choose but never forget what those beyond our lands suffer! Live knowing their suffering will only continue!" Jade added.

Kion's King's Guard, the Night Pride, and Kopa's companions were already behind their King and Queen. Each looked equally determined and ready to join Kion's Crusade.

"Who will join us!?" Kion roared.

Advik had no hesitation. The tiger almost jumped forward with his Tundra Guard and over a dozen animals from his land.

Mungo and Bellezza soon followed with the Island Guard close behind.

Rune took a deep breath before he thought about everything that had happened.

With a newfound look of commitment, Rune led his Jungle Guard and many other jungle animals forward.

Gael let out a fierce roar before he stepped forward. With him were several Night lions, Barbary lions, hyenas, bears, rhinos, and other animals from across the Kingdom.

Kion and Rani's eyes lit up as they saw their Crusader army before them.

However, it wasn't done yet.

One more lion stepped forward. Kiara nearly froze in place when she saw Kovu approach Kion.

"You've got me too." Kion and Rani were equally surprised by this.

"Mama, where's papa going?" Mufasa asked. Nala and Simba both had their mouths open wide.

Kion, Rani and the crusader leaders spent several hours planning. Kovu eventually joined after a long verbal thrashing from Kiara.

All the while Simba and Nala watched over their grand cubs.

"Are you sure the roar can get us all there? The army is quite large." Rune asked with some skepticism.

Kion confidently nodded.

"I've been practicing for months. I can do it, I'll just need to rest a bit before we attack."

The others nodded.

"While cutting off the snake's head is important. We also shouldn't forget the crimes of Radcliffe's lieutenants." Talib huffed.

Advik growled.

"Agreed."

"One thing at a time. We need to know exactly what the Northern Kingdom is like. Ono and Anga were there last, plus you guys too. We need to know everything." Rani said.

"We only saw a little during our raid. Not enough for strategic planning." Jade admitted.

"We remember it well." Ono said.

"There someone else too." Vegter said.

The leaders saw Vegter and Makini ease Jane towards the rock where Ono had drawn out the Kingdom with dirt.

The lioness's terrified expression persisted but she was reassured by Vegter and Makini.

"It ok Jane."

With a deep breath, Jane moved towards the map.

"Jane remember well. Jane know where everything is in home."

Kion held his paw up as he saw her breathe pick up.

"Easy, take your time."

"Caves where brighteners kept." Anga's eyes narrowed as she saw Jane point the cave's location out on the map.

"I remember that place well."

"King's throne on plateau here. Half of army rests in canyon, rest are on other side."

Jane continued to point out locations on the map while the leaders carefully listened.

After a half-hour, Jane, Ono, and Anga had mapped out everything the leaders needed.

"Thank you, Jane. Makini and Nirmala are always here if you need-" Rani started.

"Jane go with you." This took most of the leaders by surprise.

"Jane, it's alright, you don't have to-" Beskerm started.

"Vegter saved Jane from Radcliffe, Jane wants to save the others in Jane's home." The lioness's determined expression was more than a little inspiring to the others.

"We're glad to have you." Kion said.

After another-half hour Kion took a deep breath.

"Now that our plans are made, take the rest of the day and sort out any business you need to take care of. In the morning, we'll meet by the northern border and use the roar to travel." Rune nodded.

"May fortune favor us in this righteous task."

"I just want to thank you all again. I know this isn't what many of you thought you'd ever do but it is the right thing. I'm privileged to be your Queen."

The others bowed their heads before Rani.

"We're honored to fight in this noble cause." Advik growled.

As the leaders dispersed, Bunga stretched his arms over his head with an anxious look.

"Well, I need to make sure everything is good with Binga before we leave. If you need me I'll be in the wetlands."

"Kion." A familiar voice said before he turned to see Kovu approaching.

"You're still in one piece." Kion chuckled. Kovu didn't seem as amused.

"Yeah, your sister is more frightening than my mom was. But eventually, she came around, on a few conditions."

"What exactly?" Fuli asked with keen interest.

Kovu sighed with an almost browbeaten expression.

"For the next year, I'm not allowed to do anything without her permission…Anything." Fuli almost fell over in laughter.

Rani and the others had similar reactions though not to Fuli's level.

"I take back everything bad I ever said about Kiara!" Fuli almost couldn't breathe from her sheer amusement.

"In all seriousness, Kion can I talk with you and Rani alone." The two followed Kovu to a secluded area near the savanna.

"Kovu, we appreciate you wanting to help us." Kovu nodded a little.

"My mom did a lot of bad things. Things she wanted me to do also….I think this cause is noble and I would very much like to be part of it. But I'm not the only one."

"Well, this place is still in one piece, so I see you're not a completely bad King." Kion remembered that voice well. He smiled before turning to see Jasiri behind Kovu.

"Well, everything was good until some dirty hyenas showed up."

"You pretentious little." Jasiri sprinted forward to mess up Kion's mane with her paws.

"Jasiri? Ahh, yes I remember you. It's been a while." Rani said.

"Queen Rani. Always a pleasure. We found out about your crusade, I like the idea of putting someone like Radcliffe in his place. Isn't that right." Kion and Rani soon saw Janja approached with over a dozen other spotted hyenas. A few were members of Janja's old gang while others were part of Jasiri's new kingdom.

"Yeah, a lot of us have quite a bit to atone for. A noble cause like this might be just that."

"We'll be glad to have you…..Wait a minute, how did you all get here so fast?" Rani realized Kion was right and looked just as confused.

Kovu took a deep breath and turned back again.

Kion and Rani's eyes widened as they saw none other than Vitani slowly approach with an anxious expression.

"Kion, Rani." She spoke softly.

The King and Queen both growled intensely at Kovu's sister.

"What are you doing here!?"

"I heard-"

"You aren't welcome in this Kingdom!" Rani snarled.

"Please, just hear her out." Kovu pleaded.

Vitani kept her head low.

"Look, I know what we did was wrong. I'm so sorry about what happened because of my mistake. But being sorry won't bring back those animals. Radcliffe used me and my Guard, I want to make it right and bring him down. Please if you could just give us a chance."

Kion and Rani looked at each other with conflicted expressions.

"…..Everyone makes mistakes….But they shouldn't lead to innocents dying." Kion growled as Vitani kept her head low.

"However, if you really are sorry, this is your chance to prove it. Are you ready to lay down your life for this cause?" Rani asked with an intense expression.

Vitani nodded without hesitation.

"Alright then, we'll see if that's true." Vitani looked a bit more optimistic as Kovu nudged her in support.

That night, Kion's Guard each slept with difficulty. All they could think about was the imminent crusade and if they'd return. Bunga held Binga closely under the wetland trees.

Similarly, Fuli and Azaad cuddled up very close to each other in the savanna. Beshte and Bellezza kept beside each other in the lake while Anga and Ono made a makeshift nest in the savanna.

Baliyo and Afia lay beside each other as they gazed up at the stars. It had been a long time since either had slept at night.

By the tree of life, Kovu slept beside Kiara with Mufasa tucked tightly between his front legs.

Inside the Tree, Kion similarly rested with Kopa in his lap. Rani kept her head on his back.

Kion thought a thousand things would be in his head. But instead, only one thing was the one thing that seemed to occupy all of his thoughts. Kion stared intensely at Kopa. Kion lamented the idea of leaving his son without him. Denying him the care and love his own father had given him.

Kion lamented the thought of never seeing Kopa grow up. Never seeing Rani or his family again. Not just that but seeing his friends die. Knowing he took his nephew's father away from him as well.

These thoughts weight down on his mind like a boulder.

Kion opened his eyes again and looked at the murals upon the rock wall.

His eyes reached a mural Makini had made several months prior. A mural of Kopa that almost seemed to watch over them.

Kion took one more deep breath before closing his eyes.

"Whatever was going to happen, it would happen. Kion had to focus on his mission. Stop Radcliffe and bring the same prosperity back to his kingdom.

The next morning, Kion nuzzled Kopa intensely with a few tears in his eyes.

"Papa, where are you going?"

Kion gave a slight smile.

"Papa has to go and do something very important. I'll be back soon though, I promise."

Rani soon took over for Kopa as she nuzzled Kion.

"Please, don't leave us without you."

Nearby, Kiara fought back tears as she did the same with Kovu.

"I swear if you do anything to get yourself hurt or-"

"Relax, Kiara. We're going with him. I'll keep an eye on our future king." Vitani said with a thick smile.

Bunga and Binga shared an intense embrace while the other crusaders gave similar farewells to their families.

Rani reached Baliyo with Surak and Nirmala.

"Stay close to Kion, be safe."

"Come on Rani, you know me."

Rani didn't look encouraged.

"He's got us too. The Night Guard never fails." Afia said confidently.

For once Rani smiled in agreement with Afia.

Finally, Simba and Nala reached Kion.

"…Kion, are you sure about this?" Nala almost trembled in fear.

"I am." Nala nuzzled him as she hadn't since Kion was a cub.

"Please, come back to us."

Kion turned to his father.

"Do what you think is right. But don't lose yourself along the way." Kion gave a hard nod before nuzzling his father.

Talib nudged Kion.

"Your majesty, it's time." Kion took a deep breath and walked before his army.

"Crusaders! We march to save other lands and other animals! We fight not for ourselves but for the Circle of Life itself! I commend you for your courage and sacrifice! We will not falter and we will not fail! Until the Circle of Life falls, we will guard and protect all!"

Kion's army roared back with intense enthusiasm.

Kion lifted his head up and unleashed the roar of the elders. Vitani quickly did the same.

Their combined might lifted up the entire army and soon carried them away in a controlled manner.

Hours later, Rani stood on a hillside looking down at the Kingdom. Beside her were Kiara, Surak, and a male Barbary lion.

"This is a beautiful Kingdom. I wish I could see it more often." Kiara said.

Rani nodded.

"I still haven't seen your home. Maybe when this is all over we could see it. Kopa should visit his ancestral home." Kiara smiled at that thought.

"You've been Queen for over a year now. How do you find it?" Rani saw the angst in Kiara's face.

"It's not easy and you make mistakes. But knowing I have the power to preserve all of this helps me stay motivated." Kiara nodded.

"My father has talked to me. He's considered abdicating the throne and letting me ascend while he's still alive."

"Really?" Rani asked with an intrigued face.

Kiara smiled.

"He says he's done enough for Pride Rock and knows I'll do even better. He wants to spend his time with Mufasa and see you guys more."

"Well, I don't mind having him and Nala around. We haven't been around each other much Kiara but I know you'll make a great Queen."

"I hope so. My dad's done such a great job over the years. Sometimes I wonder how I can live up to him."

"I use to think the same about my grandmother. The key is to try and be your own ruler instead of trying to be them." Kiara nodded.

"I like that."

"Your majesty!" Cadoc squawked as he frantically flew over.

"My Queen! I spotted poachers near the southern border!" Rani looked at Surak and the Barbary lion who both smiled. Kiara joined in as well.

At the southern entrance, a pack of jackals sprinted in.

"Come on! I heard the King and all his Guards left! This place is gonna be easy pickings now!" The lead jackal panted before he stopped dead in his tracks.

Above them on a ledge were Rani, Kiara, Surak, and the Barbary lion.

"Oh, I've missed this." Rani growled.

"Would you like the honor?" She asked Kiara.

"You're the Queen here." Rani nodded with an intense expression.

The Queen roared as she charged down with the other lions close behind.


	11. King of Life

Author's note: I've done this with some of my other stories, to hear the music in envisioned for this chapter play the song protectors of the earth when you see (XXX)

The night air was calm in the Northern Kingdom. The dark and thick stratus clouds loomed over the Crusader army with perpetual darkness.

Ono and Anga felt their nerves tighten and their hearts race as they stared at the clouds. Kion and the others gazed with horror at the landscape around them. The closer they came to their destination, the more barren and ravaged the ground seemed.

They hadn't seen a herd for miles, only bones and dead plants.

"Sheesh, I thought the outlands were bad." Janja growled.

"You said it." Imara growled as she looked around.

"We getting close. Radcliffe have scouts nearby." Jane growled.

Kion nodded before he looked at Anga, Ono, and the other birds who had come.

Ono and Anga looked fiercer than any of the others.

Without a word, they took off towards the Kingdom.

"We wait here until they return!" Kion announced.

The vast army settled in for a breather as the Guards and their leaders met with Kion.

"Let's go over the plan one more time to make sure we have it down." Jane had drawn out another map of the Kingdom in the dirt for them.

"We move to the caves and free the detained predators." Kion emphasized the cave's while the others nodded.

"You think they'll help us?" Vitani asked.

"They've been locked in caves for years watching their cubs get taken from them. We'll be lucky if they have the courage to leave the caves." Talib huffed.

Jane had a very intense look on her face. The lioness growled while Vegter nudged against her.

"Crusader army save Jane's parents and others."

"Once we do that, hopefully, it will cause confusion in Radcliffe's ranks. Then we sweep in and deal with the half of his army in the main canyon. Our main objective is to break up and scatter them."

"And Radcliffe?" Rune growled.

All eyes stared intensely on Kion.

The King showed no hesitation.

"He has to die. We find and kill him before he can bring in the rest of his slave troops."

None of the others showed any signs of doubt or second thoughts at Kion's proclamation.

"We do this fast and precise. Then we all go home." Kovu said as he breathed an anxious breath.

Vitani patted her brother's shoulder in a reassuring manner.

"Vitani, you know he possessed a Dark Roar." Vitani took a deep breath.

"Yes, I've heard as much….I still haven't mastered the roar yet."

"He's powerful, very powerful. Don't try and face him alone."

Vitani nodded while her lionesses gave her reassuring looks.

Bunga tried to psych himself up by throwing a few air punches.

Fuli and Azaad similarly stretched themselves to loosen up their muscles.

Bellezza stared forward with a mixture of dread and optimism on her face.

"Are you ok?" Beshte asked.

Bellezza slowly nodded.

"To be honest I didn't really come here to fight. I wanted more to help other animals like Jane." Beshte nodded.

"I get it, I prefer helping others to fighting them too. But sometimes it's necessary." Bellezza nodded.

"I just wish I only had to fight those horrible lieutenants of Radcliffe, they're just as responsible for this as he is." Beshte huffed angrily.

"They are, and they won't escape justice either."

Kion, Kovu, and Rune tried to not dwell on their mates and cubs. Each knew such thoughts would only distract them and put themselves in more danger.

Kion and Kovu stared out at the Kingdom before them when Baliyo came up.

"Are you guys ok?" Kion nodded.

"How's the Night Pride?"

"Afia's as excited as you'd imagine. Idan's ok but Kanda's pretty nervous."

"She should be. This is probably the most dangerous thing I've ever done….Huh, a part of me is actually kind of looking forward to only being able to do what Kiara says I can."

Kion and Baliyo had another slight chuckle upon being reminded of that little detail.

"Kion, do you think we can pull this off?" Baliyo asked nervously.

Kion nodded without hesitation.

"I wouldn't have brought us here if I didn't think so."

Baliyo looked a bit more relieved.

"Well, I'm glad you think so." Baliyo looked back at Afia who was trying to pump up Kanda.

"I want you to know when we get back. I think I'm ready."

Kion and Kovu looked at Baliyo with some confusion.

"Ready for what?"

"For Afia and I to become mates." Kion's eyes widened for a moment.

"I see. Well, that's good, I know you both make each other happy."

"You don't think Rani will be upset." Kion laughed.

"No, I don't. I think she'll be very happy for you both."

Baliyo looked up at the sky.

"I hope we have a girl cub first. I want to name her Janna."

"Rani might be upset by that."

"Why, did she call the name first?" Kion nodded slightly.

"She and I agreed on that name if we had a girl."

"Well, I guess we just better have a girl before you two do."

"Be careful, Baliyo. Kiara always vehemently reminded me that Mufasa was her first choice of name." Kovu now laughed a little.

"Sisters, am I right."

All three lions laughed together while Vitani and her lionesses listened.

"What are they saying?" Vitani asked.

"Something about fighting over cub's names?"

Vitani rolled her eyes.

"Brothers, am I right."

"…..I don't have one." Kasi said.

Kion exhaled before looking back at the Kingdom.

"I guess I'm finally doing what Kopa wanted me to."

"Maybe he was right, to an extent. I still don't agree with everything he said. But this does feel right." Baliyo confidently growled.

"I didn't know Kopa. But it sounds like his heart was in the right place. You know how far to take it, Kion." The young King slowly nodded.

"You're right. I'm glad you guys came." Several minutes later, the birds returned with almost a dozen vultures dropped unconscious before the crusaders.

"We weren't spotted." Ono said intensely.

Kion felt his heart race and the rest of his Guard surrounded him.

"This is it then." He almost panted.

"Kion, we're with you. Now, until the end." Bunga put his paw on Kion's shoulder with a reassuring look of devotion.

Fuli, Beshte, Ono, Anga, and Azaad did the same. Beskerm, Jade, Obasi, Vegter, and Talib followed suit.

Kion took a deep breath and turned to his army.

"We move out! Make ready for battle!"

The army cried back.

Kion reached the hillside overlooking the caves first. He was soon joined by the others as they gazed upon the Northern Kingdom.

Kion's expression became a mixture of horror and disgust when he saw the Northern Kingdom firsthand.

"Woah, it's even worse than I thought." Bunga almost shouted.

Ono landed beside Kion with a painful gaze.

"Awful, isn't it."

Kion patted Ono's back for a moment.

"Are you ok?"

Ono took a deep breath and nodded.

The other crusaders soon joined their King in equal horror when they saw the Northern Kingdom's lament.

"Ok, definitely worse than the outlands." Janja growled.

Jasiri looked closer and saw several cubs being dragged away towards a tree.

The hyena snarled in a terrible fury.

"If Kion doesn't order the attack soon, I might just go on my own."

Janja and the other hyenas looked slightly afraid of their leader's expression.

"How do you survive her?" One asked a very nervous Janja.

"I sometimes wonder that myself."

"Kion!" Baliyo snarled as he pointed to the center of the canyon.

The King's eyes locked onto Radcliffe. He strode through the canyon with his lieutenants close by. Kion could see several deep scars embedded into Radcliffe's face.

"I'm getting anxious Radcliffe, it's been months, how long until we take the Tree of Life?"

Radcliffe chuckled.

"I suppose I don't have the right to complain about scars on my face." Kuzimu chuckled.

"I do feel better now. However, the Tree of Life may be a bit too ambitious with so many guardians there. We should wait until our base of power is larger. We need another good kingdom to take first…..Yes, we'll take Pride Rock!"

Kion felt his heart race faster at the same time Kovu's eyes widened.

"Pride Rock, yes a rich and fertile kingdom. Plenty to eat and not nearly as defended." Kuzimu growled.

"What about your heir?" Timora asked.

Radcliffe's malevolent smile returned.

"Kiara, yes, her bloodline is just as exulted as Rani's. She's heir to the throne and will more than suit my needs."

Kion, Kovu, and Vitani's mouths dropped open.

"I hear rumors she has a cub already." Shetani laughed.

"Then it will die."

Kovu couldn't contain the fire in his stomach and bellowed out a thunderous roar.

Radcliffe's eyes shot to the hillside overlooking the canyon.

The King gazed upon Kion and his army looking down at them. Radcliffe didn't seem afraid, he merely looked surprised. He clearly did not believe Kion would be so bold. He was wrong.

Kion arched his head back with Vitani and released the roar of the elders. The combined wave of telekinetic force tore apart the barricades covering each cave and scattered the various predators guarding them.

"Attack!" Kion charged down the hill with his Guard at his back.

Baliyo followed with the Night Pride, Kovu and Vitani came after with the Lion Guard.

Before long the entire army was in a charge down the hill.

The leopard and Komodo dragon mercenaries attempted to get up but soon found themselves engulfed by the Crusaders.

As they swarmed the caves, Janja and Jasiri's hyenas broke down what was left of the barricades. Jasiri herself snarled as she pounced Chuluun into the ground.

The snow leopard tried to force Jasiri off her but the hyena was relentless, her claws and fangs pierced Chuluun's hide again and again while the leopard was unable to strike back.

At the same time, Janja and the other hyenas effectively kept any of the mercenaries from helping Chuluun.

At the same time, Makucha frantically tried to reorganize his men but it was a fruitless endeavor. The mercenaries were swamped by Kion's army and Makucha would soon be next.

Talib rammed his horns into Makucha and plowed him into the ground.

The leopard viciously lashed out with his claws and fangs but Talib had him effectively pinned down.

"Kion told me you're a fan of delicacies. Let's see if you're still hungry!" The buffalo huffed.

Ora tried to get away from the battle with two of his dragons and rounded up as many of the scattered cubs as he could.

"Come on you little rats! Radcliffe will have my skin if I don't salvage something!" The cubs were corralled by the thee dragons. But Ora soon felt the ground tremble and an intense blow on his side that picked him up off the ground.

"Twende Kiboko!" Beshte quickly used his oversized jaws to snatch up another dragon before hurling him into Ora.

Bellezza huffed with similar aggression. She used her feet to keep the last dragon's jaws back before ensnaring him in her jaws as Beshte had.

When the lizard was gone, Bellezza almost frantically looked for the cubs.

When she found them, they were trembling behind a rock.

"Ohhh, it's ok. We're not going to hurt you, we want to take you back to your parents and-"

"Bellezza!" Beshte huffed.

The female hippo turned just in time to see one of Ora's dragons. The lizard snapped his jaws around her thick hide. Even so, Bellezza cried out in pain with a furious expression.

"I know you're a living being like me. But that still doesn't mean you need teeth!" Bellezza threw the lizard off her and then smashed her right foot agains this mouth so hard she saw a few of his fangs fly out.

Beshte almost laughed as he slammed Ora and the third dragon away.

Elsewhere, Mama Binterong's porcupines rounded up the remaining cubs under her tree.

"That's all of them!"

"Good, keep them close. Kion's army will think twice about attacking us if-"

"Zuka Zama!" A thick cloud of familiar oder surrounded Binturong's party and mad ehe hack like she hadn't in a long time.

"No! That smell!"

Bunga laughed as he waded through the stench and beach back each porcupine.

He didn't do it alone either, Kandna and Idan fought back four feral predators also in the group.

"Come with us, we'll keep you safe." Idan purred in a compassionate voice.

The two Night Lions and Honey badger were gone by the time the cloud was gone. Two more lions emerged though.

Binturong saw Vegter stare at her intensely while Jade gave a near feral growl.

"This her?"

Jane snapped her jaws.

"It her, Mama Binturong."

Binturong's eyes widened for a moment.

"I, I remember you. You're one of mama's children."

"Jane not your daughter! Radcliffe steal Jane when Jane a cub and give her to Mama Binturong!"

Binturong growled.

"You are one of mama's children. Have you forgotten everything mama taught you? Your King commands you to fight for him."

Jana growled more intensely.

"Mama commands you! Do it now or Mama will punish you!" Binturong's claws came out.

"Jane no let Binturong hurt anyone else!" Before Vegter could stop her, Jane roared and charged at Binturong who's eyes widened in terror.

Vegter almost got frightened by what he saw.

A few Jungle, Barbary, and Night lions all came up around Vegter as they watched Jane.

The porcupines scurried off in terror as well.

"….That's quite savage." One said in a frightened tone.

"Jane is free now." The lioness panted heavily as she stood over Binturong's body.

Vegter came up beside Jane and nuzzled her.

"Is Jane ok?"

The lioness's eyes closed.

"Mama Binturong can't hurt any more cubs…Jane stop her." Vegter nudged her head with a reassuring expression. However, the Tsavo lion's eyes widened when he saw the first half of Radcliffe's army just ahead of them.

"This way! Vegter knows what to do!"

Kion and Kovu beat back the last of Makucha's mercenaries before they saw Radcliffe standing directly across from them.

Half of his army formed up behind the king while Kion's crusader force quickly did the same.

"Coming to my own land, Kion? I didn't think you could be so ruthless." Radcliffe almost looked as if he respected Kion. But the young King wasn't looking for it.

"Your reign ends now! Release your slaves and step down! It's the only way you're walking out of this alive!"

Radcliffe growled as he gazed at Kovu.

"When I'm done here, your mate and sister will both bear my cubs. After I feed your cubs to my army, and this time, that fool Kopa won't be here to protect you!" Radcliffe arched his head back while the ground began to tremble.

Shetani and Kuzimu laughed in anticipation while Timora stared close with interest.

Vitani came up beside Kion and all eyes in their army turned to them.

Vitani tried not to shake in angst but Kovu put his paw on her shoulder.

"You can do this." Her own Guard, as well as Kion's, gave Vitani reassuring looks.

(XXX) The two lions arched their heads back while the air picked up.

The three lions roared and the impact could be felt for miles.

Radcliffe's roar sent a breathtaking quake towards the crusader army. In response, the clouds above erupted in thunderous waves of power from various lion's heads.

Kion and Vitani's roars joined together in a tidal wave of power. The crusader army chanted in awe when they saw the roars collide with Radcliffe's.

The dark-king was taken back when he felt his quake get silenced and a few of his slave-soldiers get hurled away.

Kion and Vitani both gave intense smiles back at Radcliffe. Despite this, Radcliffe didn't lose his own malevolent expression. He roared again and made the ground directly under his enemies tremble.

Kion and Vitani could both feel it. Radcliffe was trying to open fissures and force rocky towards to spread up.

Or at least, he would have. Both lions unleashed their own roars once more. The power kept the earth in place. Despite how much Radcliffe poured into his roar, he couldn't overpower both of his opponents.

"Now what!?" Timora snarled.

"We hold until the rest of our troops arrive and overwhelm them."

"That's a very large army, Radcliffe. Do we even have enough troops?" Kuzimu snarled.

Radcliffe nodded.

"An excellent point. Simple then, isolate Kion from Vitani. Kill them both."

His lieutenants nodded.

Kion, on the other hand, wasn't going to wait.

"Attack!" The crusaders followed their King in a head on charge. Radcliffe and his lieutenants subtly fell back into the mass of their slave soldiers who formed a living shield.

Kion was only driven on further when he saw this.

He unleashed a shorter more controlled roar that sent the first section of slave-soldiers flying.

With their first ranks disrupted, the crusaders' charge had that much more impact.

The melee became a maelstrom of ferocity. Both sides pushed forward like two massive elephants trying to overpower the other. Obasi, Talib, Beshte, and Bellezza were at the front with many other of the crusaders' large animals. However, the single minded fanaticism of Radcliffe's slave-soldiers drove them farther than any normal animal would have gone.

Kion and Vitani pushed in hard to try and reach Radcliffe but only found feral predators.

Despite their initial success, the sheer ferocity of slave-soldiers allowed them to push into the crusader ranks. Once inside, they managed to break apart their cohesion as individual fights broke out.

The King's Guard remained close to Kion with Jade and Beskerm backing them up.

However, the interweaving slaves managed to drive a wedge between Kion's Guard and Vitani's.

Vitani ruled a hyena back with her jaws when Tazama nudged her.

"Vitani!" The lioness aw they had been cut off from Kion's Guard and growled.

"Come on, we can't get separated!"

Radcliffe smelled blood in the water like a shark.

"Now." The King moved in with his lieutenants. The four sifted through their own forces as easily as they could water.

Jade and Beskerm tenaciously fought back against the feral-slaves but soon found themselves forced from Kion's own Guard.

Kovu became similarly separated by the swarm of slaves. Unaware he was being watched by Kuzimu.

"One King not to be." The wolf growled.

Shetani similarly zeroed in on Kion. Despite their best efforts, the King's Guard couldn't keep back all the beasts from Kion and he furiously fought them off at his front.

Shetani lowered himself into a pouncing stance. His eyes held a horrible excitement to them.

Shebaha, Kasi, Imara, and Tazama fought with everything they had. Vitani tried more than once to use the roar but the swarm of predators didn't give her enough room.

"Ahhh!" Vitani's head shot to Kasi and Imara.

Timora slammed one of the lioness's away with her mighty paws and hurled the other with her jaws.

Radcliffe did the same to Shebaha and Tazama before turning his attention to Vitani.

The lioness attempted to charge Radcliffe but he struck her like a freight train and picked Vitani up off the ground.

Even with such a blow, Vitani didn't lose her ferocity. Her rage boiled over and erupted onto Radcliffe. The lioness let out feral but well-guided paw blows and bites. Even so, Radcliffe countered them expertly.

His satisfied expression only frustrated Vitani even more so.

Vitani howled in pain from Radcliffe's bites and claw strikes. With a second heavy-blow, Vitani found herself on the ground.

Radcliffe didn't wait and opened his jaws to-

"Grauuuu!" The King looked up for a moment and gazed in shock at Vegter who had now reappeared.

The crusaders watched with renewed optimism as they saw Vegter with Jane the missing lions emerge around and behind the mass formation of slave-soldiers.

They crashed into them like mounted knights and caused their already disrupted formation to lose all cohesion.

"Ohh yeah! This is it! Come on!" Bunga rushed forward with Rune close behind.

The bolstered morale allowed the crusaders to push the slaves further and further back.

Timora, Kuzimu, and Shetani found their shield of slave-soldiers retreat like low tide.

Before Kuzimu could fully react, he was set upon by none other than Kovu. The lion slammed Kuzimu onto his side and nearly bit down on his throat. The wolf forced himself up but was soon locked in a fight for survival against Kovu.

"You think you can threaten my mate and cub!"

Kuzimu laughed.

"We can do whatever we want. Our threats are nothing short of promises."

Kuzimu soon regretted his words. Kovu's paw struck the burned portion of his head so hard that a crack emerged in the revealed bone.

Kuzimu felt his head grow dizzy and backed up.

Kovu didn't relent either.

He pushed the wolf back with more claw strikes and bites. All the while Kuzimu howled at the feral predators to help him. But each was kept back by none other than Jasiri and her hyenas.

"Sorry but that's not fair." Jasiri laughed as she and Janja beat back two feral hyenas that tried to flank Kovu.

Kuzimu howled again when he felt Kovu bite his side.

The wolf bit Kovu three times in response but Kovu wouldn't let go. With a final snarl, Kovu slammed Kuzimu into the ground and kept him there.

Janja watched with a frightened gaze but Jasiri laughed.

"You uh, find that amusing." Jasiri nodded.

"Let that be a reminder if you ever think about being a bad boy again." Her terrifying eyes made Janja gulp with his tail between his legs.

"Yes, dear."

Radcliffe turned back to Vitani. He opened his jaws again and-

"Grauuu!" Kion rammed himself into Radcliffe's side and forced him off Vitani.

The two Kings began their clash and Vitani tried to regain her senses.

Timora saw this and lowered herself to intercept Kion.

"I don't think so!" Baliyo slammed into the ligress with all his might. Even with his, she only stumbled backward a little.

Timora turned back to Baliyo who's intense growl almost amused her.

"Try not the squirm."

"Ha, that's impossible." Timora turned her head just in time to see Afia's paw slam into her face.

The ligress snarled in frustration before the two Night Lions came at her together.

Despite her immense strength, Timora couldn't keep up with Baliyo and Afia's near perfect teamwork. While one countered her blows, the other struck back. They were relentless and cohesive.

Timora's eyes turned fiery red as she attempted to leap forward into them both.

Baliyo and Afia roared together. With their combined pounce, they slammed Timora onto her back.

Without mercy, they swiftly bit the ligress's neck and felt her thrashing stop.

Baliyo panted heavily while Afia almost laughed.

"I shouldn't be so happy. We just killed an animal…A very, very bad animal, together." Afia purred as she nuzzled Baliyo's face.

Baliyo mirrored her passionate excitement and became overwhelmed by impulse.

"I know this isn't the best time but I was thinking. I love you and want to become mates."

Afia's face turned red before her laughter became almost too intense.

"This is the perfect time to ask me! Now we have even more reason to win!" Afia licked the side of Baliyo's face before they returned to the fight.

Shetani hadn't even noticed Timora's death as he locked in on Kion.

"Grrrrr. I've never killed a King before-"

"Vile snake!" Vitani almost ripped off a chuck of Shetani's body when she collided with him and buried her fangs deep into his hide.

The tiger groaned in agony and tried to fight Vitani off, eventually forcing her back in front of him.

Despite the pain, Shetani began to laugh.

"We meet again, I'm surprised Kion let you march in his army. I'm surprised you weren't banished from Pride Rock!"

Vitani's eyes erupted hotted than any volcano.

Vitani opened her mouth and unleashed a short roar before Shetani could come to strike back. The tiger collided with a large rock and became disoriented.

As Vitani charged forward, her Guard reformed around her.

Shetani snarled as four feral lionesses came behind him.

"Stay away from the leader, she's mine!"

The two groups clashed like an ocean wave against a large rock. Vitani and Shetani exchanged vicious blows. Both felt their bodies cry out in pain and lament. Even so, neither held back or showed signs of weariness.

Shetani got his fangs into Vitani's back and began to clamp down hard. Vitani cried out in agony as Shetani shook her and tried to break her spine. Even in such pain, Vitani forced herself to focus and snapped her jaws around Shetani's head.

The tiger yelped with burning pain and finally let her go. With her body free, Vitani pounced the tiger onto his back and gave him one final precise bite.

Kion and Radcliffe's fight had taken them up to the plateau overlooking the Kingdom. Neither had gained a significant advantage until Radcliffe struck Kion's shoulder and lifted him back a foot or two.

Radcliffe gazed down at the other side to see his remaining slaves nearing the main battle.

"Just die already!" Radcliffe arched his head back and brought a terrible ground tremble with it.

Kion's eyes opened with pure dedication while Radcliffe's held pure malice.

The two King's brought their roars forth and nearly made the entire Kingdom shake. Kion's power from the sky met Radcliffe's earth-power. Despite what he expected, Radcliffe found Kion's roar stronger than he remembered. The Dark-King poured more and more strength into his roar but Kion's continued to push back.

Radcliffe felt his frustration turn to angst as Kion's roar pushed his own back further and further.

It was at that moment, Radcliffe looked up at the clouds and saw something he hadn't seen before. Among the Kings of old, another lion's head appeared with them. One who hadn't been there when he invaded the Tree of Life.

In the clouds, roaring with the Kings of old was the face of Kopa.

Kion's roar finally broke through Radcliffe's and struck him like a herd of wildebeest.

Radcliffe violently tumbled down the hillside until he crashed into the canyon below.

Radcliffe moaned as he tried to get up. When the King shook his head, he saw Kion had now joined him.

Radcliffe snapped his jaws in a feral manner.

"Kill him! Kill him now!" The slave-soldiers fell silent.

"I said kill him!" Radcliffe looked back at the slaves but instead of the mindless ferocity in their eyes, he saw the same trembling fear that they had given when they were first indoctrinated as cubs. All of them had seen Kion defeat Radcliffe's roar.

"Kill him! I'm your King! Your master! All of you are my slaves! My property!"

"You don't own them!" Kion roared back so loud he nearly breathed fire.

"Animals aren't things to possess or use! You took everything that made them more them animals! I'm going to take it back! You're done hurting others, you're done corrupting the Circle of Life!"

Radcliffe's feral expression returned to Kion.

"Your father couldn't kill the lion who murdered his father. You won't kill me."

Kion lowered his head.

"I'm not my father."

With a final roar, the two lions clashed again. The slave-soldiers backed up in fright, each trembled as they watched.

Radcliffe's earlier expertise had devolved into blind fury. Kion now brought down his passionate strength mixed with his mastered fighting style. Each of Radcliffe's blows was countered and his body became marred with bite marks, claw marks, and bruises.

Finally, Kion struck Radcliffe's face where Kopa had and the King almost looked as if he had suffered a seizure.

His body flailed around and his paws came upon his face.

Kion lowered his body while easing his breath.

With a thunderous roar, Kion pounced forward and slammed Radcliffe onto his back.

The young King raised his jaws from Radcliffe's neck. He panted slowly and looked down on Radcliffe's body.

"Kion! Unbungalievable!" Bunga jumped into the King and wrapped his arms around him.

"You did it! You got him!" Before long the rest of Kion's Guard enveloped him in a warm embrace. Ono and Anga hadn't even stopped to see Radcliffe's body.

Beskerm, Jade, Talib, Obasi, Vegter, and Jade were close behind. Jane herself stared intensely at Radcliffe's body, almost with a surreal look.

Anga and Ono emerged from Kion's embrace and spat on the lion's body.

"I hope you and Scar keep each other company." Ono said on the verge of tears.

Anga wrapped her wings around Ono and pulled him closer.

"Ahhhh! Ahhhh!" Jane and Vegter looked out at the slaves. Their fright had devolved into a complete breakdown. They frantically looked around and cried out like cubs. But that respect, they were still cubs. Cubs trapped in adult bodies.

Kion and the others became overwhelmed by their horrific wails.

"Oh boy, uhhh, now what do we do?" Fuli nervously asked.

Jane rushed out to the slaves with Vegter close behind.

"Please listen to Jane! Jane's friends are here to help us! They help Jane remember who she is! They help you too!"

"Adisa!"

"Gail!'

"Daan!"

Across the Kingdom, Kion's crusaders witnessed the predators they had freed emerge from the caves with frantic expressions.

Each in a dead-sprint towards the mass of confused slaves.

"Jacinta!"

Kion and the others bore witness to the wave of emotions as the freed predators found their children.

Many of them were older but upon reaching their children, the former salves broke down as if they had just been born. The ground became so flooded with tears it almost appeared to have been raining.

Vitani and Kovu found each other before nuzzling.

"You're safe."

"You too." Vitani purred.

Kasi could be heard sobbing nearby.

"Ohh come on Kasi, lighten up" Imara growled.

"It's not them, it's them." The lioness nearly choked as she pointed to the reunited slaves with their parents.

Rune, Mungo, and Advik all looked over the sight with feelings of righteousness. They had fulfilled their crusader vows.

Even Jasiri became overcome by emotion and licked across a flustered Janja's face.

Baliyo and Afia became locked in a warm nuzzle until Afia noticed something out of the corner of her eye.

Nearby, Kanda licked Idan across his face with a bashful expression on her own.

"Well, what do we have here?" Afia chuckled as her companions yelped in embarrassment.

"Uhhh." They both stuttered as Afia broke out in laughter.

Bellezza had joined the King's Guard and followed Kasi's example.

Beshte saw her tearing up at the sight of the reunited families.

"Are you ok?"

She sniffed.

"It's, it's so wonderful." Bellezza nudged her head against Beshte's for support.

Kion felt Bunga elbow him before the honey-badger pointed to Fuli as she nuzzled Azaad warmly.

"I've never seen her show that kind of affection in front of others." Bunga laughed.

"First time for everything I guess." Kion chuckled.

Jade, Beskerm, Talib, and Obasi soon looked up at the sky with Kion.

"We did it, Kopa. We won." Kopa's companions were on the verge of tears again.

As the minutes passed, the crusader leaders met near Radcliffe's old throne.

Jane and Vegter approached with looks of pure grief on their faces.

"Jane….Your parents." Kion started.

Jane's eyes filled with tears while she shook her head.

"Jane was too late. Jane's parents pass a year ago." Vegter brought his head in to support Jane.

"Jane, we're so sorry." Kion came forward with Kovu and Vitani but Jane shook her head.

"No, Jane's friends save her home. They free Jane's people. Jane is happy."

Rune took a deep breath.

"There's still the matter of what to do now. This land needs a ruler, someone to heal it." All eyes turned to Kion. He felt his heart race and began to breathe deeply.

This is what Kopa had wanted. For him and Rani to rule over as much as they could and bring life to it all. But in the end, it wasn't Kion's vision.

The King shook his head.

"No, this isn't my land to rule. But there is someone else, someone who's strong, dedicated, and understands what makes a good ruler. Someone who spent years around a Kingmaker. Someone who's wise and just."

Kion smiled before he touched Vegter's shoulder.

The others gave a series of confused expression with a gasp or two mixed in.

"What? Vegter? No, King Kion is mistaken, Vegter isn't a King."

"Yes, you are. Kopa taught you as much as he taught me. You've seen how a good King rules and are strong enough to protect these animals. Plus, you won't have to do it alone. You'll have someone who knows this land." Kion turned to Jane.

"Jane, Jane as queen?"

"Kion, this, could actually work." Fuli smiled before she came over.

"I think you're capable of more than you realize, big guy."

Jade, Beskerm, Talib, and Obasi were unsure at first but eventually surrounded their companion.

"Kion's right. This is the right choice." Talib huffed with a smile.

Vegter trembled in angst but was soon embraced by his friends.

"You'll have us with you. Always."

Vegter looked back at Jane and then the others. Each gave him a look of confidence and nodded.

Vegter looked up at the sky and narrowed his eyes.

"Vegter will do it, Vegter will rule wisely and justly! Vegter will do this for Kopa and Dakarai!"

"Hail King Vegter and Queen Jane!" Advik roared.

The other leaders soon roared as well. Kion and Vitani glanced at each other for a moment and nodded.

"Vegter, come here for a second." The two guided him to the ledge where he overlooked the animals below.

"These are your subjects now." Vegter took a deep breath and nodded.

"Earning their respect won't be easy. But maybe we can help." Kion and Vitani each placed a paw on Vegter's shoulder.

Vegter felt a strange sensation inside him and looked back on his left shoulder to see a symbol had appeared.

The symbol was a lion's head on a mountain. Beskerm, Jade, Talib, and Obasi soon saw the same symbol on their own shoulders.

Vegter breathed heavily with wide eyes. Vitani and Kion both nodded to him. The Tsavo lion arched his head back and felt the wind pick up.

When Vegter thrust his head forward he let loose the roar of the elders. Kopa and the Kings of old roared with Vegter as his newfound might carried across his new Kingdom.

When the freed-slaves and captives saw this they quickly fell to the ground and bowed before their new King.

Kion and Vitani watched with proud expressions.

"So, does this mean my Guard is welcome in the Tree of Life again?"

Kion slowly glanced back at her.

"Under supervision." Vitani laughed.

"I'll take it."

Kopa looked out at the savanna from a small hilltop. The cub was kept between his mother's legs as she listened to the ramblings of a wildebeest and kudu.

With the two were Nala, Simba, Binga, Cadoc, Cael, Kiara, Mufasa, and George.

Kopa couldn't understand what the two herd leaders were talking about. But his mother diligently listened.

Kopa looked over at his cousin who had a bored look.

Kopa felt similarly. He also, however, felt a bit sad. His father still hadn't returned and he longed to see him again. He wasn't the only one either, at Night, Rani held Kopa closer than usual and almost didn't seem to sleep from a look of angst and fright.

His aunt Kiara and grandparents all mired this demeanor.

"Alright, you both have good points. Which means we have to make a compromise. George, can the island sustain them for a month or so?" The old tortoise nodded.

"That's it then. Jac, for the next month your herd can graze on the island until Icarus's herd's mating season is over."

The kudu huffed.

"I suppose that could work."

"Good, is there anything else pressing?" Both herd leaders could see the deep frustration that plagued their queen since Kion and the crusaders left.

"No, we're all good your majesty." Both bowed before quickly retreating to their herds.

Rani took a deep breath and lowered her head.

"I hope you were paying attention, Kopa. That's what a lot of it comes down to, compromises."

Simba gave a slight chuckle while nodding.

"Indeed."

"Alright, what's next on the list?" Rani asked Cadoc.

The eagle racked his brain while the adults all focused on him.

Seeing an opportunity, Kopa and Mufasa quickly freed themselves and ran at each other.

Kiara and Rani almost immediately realized their cubs weren't under them anymore but saw they were just to the side in a playful wrestling match.

"Ahh, that was it. The penguins of the eastern tundra and the tundra region wondered if we could help oversee the creation of a new slide."

"Another one?" Cael growled.

"They do love their slides."

Kopa and Mufasa let out playful growls as they tried to pin one another to the ground.

Despite being a little older, Mufasa soon found himself pinned down by Kopa. Much to the prince's satisfaction.

However, Kopa soon saw something else in the distant. He looked closer and nearly yelped.

"What is it?" Mufasa asked before Kopa pointed north.

Mufasa looked over and instantly gave the same look.

"The penguins can wait we have more important-" Rani started until she saw Kopa run off with Mufasa.

"Kopa!"

"Mufasa!" Kiara and Rani quickly raced after their cubs while the others followed close behind.

"Kopa! Naughty cub, stop right no-" Rani and Kiara stopped in their tracks with almost pale expressions.

At the Kingdom's northern entrance, both saw Kopa and Mufasa run to their fathers.

When Kion and Kovu saw them, they both sprinted ahead.

"Papa!" Kion brought his head down to passionately lick and nuzzle Kopa while Kovu did the same with Mufasa.

The two fathers felt tears grow in their eyes while their mates did the same.

Without a word, Kiara and Rani bum rushed the two lions and pounced them into the ground.

Kion looked up at Rani's heartfelt gaze before she came down to nuzzle him.

"Bunga!" Binga saw her mate emerge from the pass and was quickly lifted up in his arms.

Cael raced to Advik as he entered the Kingdom and quickly embraced his older brother.

"So glad you wondered if I was ok too." Baliyo laughed as he and Afia came up beside Rani.

The queen didn't lose her enthusiastic expression and she nudged heads with Baliyo.

Kion wasn't given much of a respite as his parents soon took over for Rani.

Surak, Nirmala, and their cubs soon came to greet the returning crusaders. But these small groups were soon joined by most of the kingdom.

Family members rushed to reunite with loving embraces.

Rune sprinted to Mary and his cubs. The white lion warmly nuzzled each before he noticed something else. Rune's eyes widened when he saw a fourth cub between Mary's legs. One younger than his other children. A lioness cub with fur as white as his own.

Beshte, Bellezza, Anga, Ono, Azaad, and Fuli soon emerged from the pass and looked out at the mass reunion.

Fuli and Azaad took some amusement watching Rani give Vitani a gracious look.

"Do you guys think things will really change for the better?" Ono nervously asked.

Fuli took a deep breath.

"I do….It will be strange though, Vegter and the others being gone and all." Her head lowered with a slightly depressed expression.

Beshte, Anga, and Ono soon mirrored her.

"I am going to miss them. Especially Obasi." Beshte said.

"He always knew what to say." Azaad chuckled before Fuli smacked his shoulder.

"Even if we have won, so many of our friends died before we could. Dakarai, Ullu, Kopa." Ono almost teared up again until Anga wrapped her wing around him.

"They're never truly going to be gone, Ono. All of them live on through us, we live for them." Ono wiped a tear away as he gazed back up at Anga and nodded.

Epilogue:

The sun had nearly reached midday over the Tree of Life and an intense struggle had broken out before it.

Two parties tugged a vine back and forth over a drawn in the grass.

One one end were two lion cubs, a honey badger cub, an eagle chick, and a cheetah cub.

The other hand was pulled by two more lion cubs, an egret chick, and a hippo calf.

The first two lion cubs were male and female. The female had golden-brown fur and brown eyes. The male cub had black, brown, and tan fur with darker brown eyes and a hint of dark-brown mane fur on his head. The eagle chick was white and the honey-badger pinkish with a white back. The cheetah cub seemed typical for his species with green eyes.

The lioness cub across from them had the same fur pattern as the male cub with darkish-blue eyes. The cub behind her had the same fur pattern but with lighter-blue eyes.

The egret chick had purple feathers while the hippo-calf had blueish eyes.

Despite how hard the first side tried, they couldn't hold their ground against the might of the second half and were soon pulled onto their stomachs.

"We win again!" The lead cub cried out proudly.

"Grrr! That's no fair Janna! Your side always wins because you have Ike!" The golden cub growled as she pointed her snout to the hippo.

"We should switch up teams." The night cub similarly growled.

"I don't think so, Anada, Sahashi. I think my little cousins are just tired of losing."

"Little, we're three weeks older than you!" Anada growled.

"You don't act like it." Janna chuckled before Anada pounced her into the ground.

The other young animals formed around Sahashi as they watched the two lioness cubs wrestle.

"They're at it again." the second cub laughed.

"Janna always starts it, she just won't quit talking." Sahashi growled.

"I heard my mom and dad say she's too much like her mother. They would know since they're in the Night Pride with her."

"Come on Anada! Avenge our defeat!" The cheetah cub growled with an excited look.

"You two don't have to fight, we could just play another game." Ike tried to separate the two but was stopped by the honey badger.

"Are you crazy! Watching them wrestle is way more fun than any game!" Ike sighed as he saw his friend's over excited expression on her face.

"If you say so, Rae."

Watching over the young animals was none other than Makini. The mandril painted new murals on the rocky walls while glancing over at them with a warm smile.

Not far away, four more lion cubs also took notice of what was happening. These cubs were older than the others. Each had nearly reached adolescence. Among them were Vadik, Vala, Kopa, and a white lioness Kopa's age.

"Look at them, brings back memories doesn't it." Vadik laughed while Kopa smiled.

"Your brother and sister are so cute." The white lioness said.

"Try spending the night with them, Lyra. Sahashi crawls over my head while Anada bites my tail. I thought cubs were supposed to do that to their parents." Kopa almost groaned while his friends chuckled.

"It just means they love their big brother." Lyra purred as she nudged her head against Kopa's face.

"Well, my mom and dad certainly get a kick out of it."

"Prince Kopa!" The four cubs heard an all too familiar squawk and looked up to see Cadoc flying towards them.

"There you are, my prince. Your father is looking for you." KOpa took a deep breath and nodded.

"I guess it's that time a day. I'll see you guys later."

"See you, have fun protecting the Kingdom." Vala said before Kopa raced off.

The two night-lions saw Lyra gaze at Kopa with a bashful face and smiled in amusement.

"There goes our future King." Vadik said.

"Yeah."

"I guess that leaves us to entertain the future queen." Vala purred.

"Yeah, wait, what!?" Lyra nearly yelped as her friends broke out in laughter.

Kopa raced across the Kingdom. He passed the desert region, the river lands, and the savanna. Along the way, he noticed his mother in the river lands with Cael, George, Binga, and Mary.

When Rani saw her son, she gave him a warm look as he nodded back to her.

Eventually, Kopa reached the savanna's western edge. There he reached the top of a large hill where several animals waited.

An adult honey-badger, two adult cheetahs, a violet eagle, a white egret, and an adult hippo. All of them stood around an adult lion with golden-brown fur, a thick red mane, and scar of this left eye.

All of them bore the Tree of Life's symbol on their shoulder.

Kopa slowed his pace as he came up beside the adult lion.

Each of the other animals smiled warmly as Kopa approached. But none could do so quite like the King who looked down at his son when he finally reached his side.

They both gazed out at the horizon, the Kingdom around them stretched as far as the eye could see. Their Kingdom, the Kingdom of the Tree of Life. Kopa stood beside his father, its king. The King of Life.


End file.
